Blood Relations
by Tracy
Summary: The 6th story in the Partners Series. Families just have a way of... growing in Chinatown.


Blood Relations  
  
By Tracy LeCates  
  
  
The bedroom was a disaster area. Every article of clothing either of them owned was strewn across the floor where the king sized bed had been, in a teetering pile. Books and photos waited their turn to be packed into the yet unassembled cardboard cartons propped up against one wall. It was the last room in the penthouse to be cleared out.   
  
"Oh, no, wait a minute. Are you trying to say that when we first met, YOU didn't like ME?" Nicole crossed her arms in front of her and stared at her husband, a slight smile playing across her features.  
  
"That's what I'm saying." Peter nodded, packing the carefully wrapped wedding photo into the carton in the middle of the bedroom floor.  
  
"Oh, no, I think you're got that backwards. I didn't like YOU."  
  
"And I didn't like you any better!" he laughed.  
  
"Get out of here! You wanted me and you know it!" she insisted.  
  
"I did not!" he protested with a wide grin. "The only thing I wanted from you was for you to leave me breathing under my own power at the end of every workday."  
  
"Oh, very nice." She scowled at him, tossing one of the pairs of jeans she'd been folding at him.  
  
"Nick, we're never going to finish packing if you keep throwing everything at me," he chastised her gently. They'd been packing for what seemed to be an eternity. Neither of them had had any idea how much 'stuff' they'd accumulated in just a few short years together. He could just as clearly remember bringing that first overnight bag of clothing there after their return from Phoenix, and their elopement. Over the next several weeks he'd moved in, a little here, a little there, no giant moving van, no packing party, no muss no fuss. His possessions had slowly insinuated themselves into the apartment the way he'd insinuated himself into his partner's life. Peter continued to pack some of the more breakable items after carefully wrapping them for their trip across town. Looking up after a while, he realized there had been nothing but silence from the other side of the room.   
  
Nicole stood in front of the bedroom window, staring down at the city below. It wasn't much in the way of a real neighborhood, the way Chinatown was. In fact she'd only met a handful of people in her own building in the nearly six years she d been there, but there was still something a little sad about knowing this view was going to be missing from her life tomorrow. She could hear the silence behind her and felt the weight of his gaze on her back and turned with a slight smile. "What?"   
  
Peter returned the half smile. "It always makes me nervous when you're behind me and you're being quiet," he teased.  
  
"Oh, you're funny, you're a regular riot." She scowled, turning back to the window.  
  
Peter climbed slowly to his feet, his chest still aching and his energy level low since his extended hospital stay. Nicole had suggested putting off the move until he was more fully recovered, but Peter had insisted they do it before the birth of their third child, knowing how difficult it would be for them to do anything at all with two toddlers and a newborn. Their packing had been accomplished primarily by a party of friends over the past two days, leaving only the master bedroom for Nicole and Peter to deal with themselves.  
  
"Sorry to leave the old place?" he asked quietly, slipping his arms around her from behind.  
  
"Kind of," she admitted quietly, leaning back into his arms. "This is where we started."  
  
"No," Peter corrected her with a grin, "We started in that car, remember? That stakeout?"  
  
The smirk on her face was undeniable. "Oh, yeah. But the twins were conceived here."  
  
"Nnnnoooo," Peter began to correct her again.  
  
"Cut it out!" she laughed. "Let me have my memories, even if they are made up."  
  
"You got it," he conceded, kissing her neck. "Want to go grab some lunch in a real restaurant as long as we're toddler free?"  
  
"You mean somewhere without a drive-thru? Do we even remember how to sit and eat at the same time? Sure, I d love to."   
  
"Thought you'd say that, I could hear your stomach growling clear across the room. We'll finish this up tonight, drive the rental van over to the new place... and when I get home from the office we can go to bed nice and early,   
Mom is keeping the kids for a few days... and we could..." Peter growled playfully.  
  
"We could both pass out from exhaustion. Sounds like fun," she finished for him with a smile. "Get your coat, I'm starving."  
  
*****************************  
  
The little Italian restaurant they'd frequented in the months before the twins arrived was still exactly the same, down to the checkered tablecloths. "I hope you re hungry," Nicole remarked, hearing her own stomach growling again. Her hand reached for Peter's, lacing her fingers with his absentmindedly as they waited for the hostess.  
  
"Starved," he replied, slightly taken aback by the action. Nicole had progressed incredibly over the last few years in the affection department, but hand holding in public? It just wasn't done. Ever. An actual public display of affection was taking place, and there he was without his camera to capture the moment. He smiled, but didn't remark, for fear of a threat of bodily harm to spoil the mood.  
  
Once seated, Peter poured over the menu as usual, everything looking too good to make a choice, and waited for Nicole to order her usual Fettuccine Alfredo. "Crab Ravioli, or Shrimp Scampi?" he muttered out loud.  
  
"I'm having the eggplant," Nicole told the waitress, setting the menu aside.   
  
Peter s eyebrow shot up as he ordered, "I'll have the crab ravioli." His stare never left Nicole s face. "Eggplant? Why? You hate eggplant, you can't even look at it in the produce section. You won't let anyone order it when we go out because you can't stand the sight or smell or idea. You get violent about eggplant!"  
  
She shrugged with a smile. "I'm having a craving for it."  
  
Peter groaned. "Hormones again?"  
  
Nicole s face broke out in a wide, lecherous grin. "It's been a tough month with you gone."   
  
"I think I'm in trouble."  
  
"No, I don't want you to wind up back in the hospital before morning."  
  
Then I guess we'll have to be slow and careful." Peter shook his head and rubbed his eyes, in complete shock as he saw her face turn the lightest shade of pink. A blush. Hand holding, and now this. An actual blush. From her. It was astounding. If he'd had his cell phone he would have called the space patrol to report that his wife and been snatched and replaced by an alien pod person. "Okay, where's Nick and what have you done with her?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Holding hands, blushing, eating eggplant, the Nick I married doesn't do those things. I don t know the extent of the power of hormones, but..."  
  
"Would you rather I was screaming and biting your head off? Maybe I've just missed you... a lot. You've only been home a week. Maybe I just feel good. And   
I do! I just feel... GOOD..." she protested, the smile still on her face, no tirade forthcoming.  
  
Reaching across the table, Peter did something he'd never dared do in public before. He took her hand in his and kissed her fingertips. "I think I could get used to this new Nicole." He smiled, seeing her eyes light up. Had he tried this even six months ago in a public place he was certain he would have been pulling back a bloody stump by that point. "You re sure you re feeling all right?" he asked quietly.  
  
"I feel great! I have energy and I've hardly been sick and my blood pressure is good. "  
  
"All things considered, that's a miracle. Are they monitoring you that closely?"  
  
"I stopped in to get it checked almost every time I visited you in the hospital. I'm fine. No way are we going to have problems like last time. I'm going to watch my temper, and you re going to behave, and everything is going to be smooth sailing for the rest of this pregnancy."   
  
"I never thought I'd see the day you went all optimistic."  
  
"Yeah? Well you just wait until later when I show you what this optimistic woman did while you were gone."  
  
"What did you do, Nicole?"  
  
"You'll just have to wait until tonight, I can't show you here. It would constitute public indecency and as ex-cops we just can't have that."  
  
"Nick, don't forget I'm a sick man. Will this land me back in the hospital? If it does, the nurses will not only kill me, but you as well."  
  
"Nurses wouldn't kill a pregnant woman, you're really the only one in danger in that scenario. You'll just have to wait until we get home. Now eat your dinner before it gets cold."  
  
"What am I one of the twins? Eat your dinner?"  
  
"Sorry. The only company I've really had this past month has been two toddlers," she apologized with a sheepish grin. "At least I didn't put a bib on you or check to see if you needed to be changed."  
  
"If you'd done that I'd really be worried."  
  
"So would I! Let's get this stuff boxed up and take it home. You re starting to look a little tired. Are you still planning on going to the office again this afternoon?"  
  
"For a few hours, there s some paperwork I wanted to get caught up on, no big deal."  
  
Nicole nodded as she waved the waiter down to box up their food. "I'll drop you off."  
  
* * * * * * *   
  
Peter rubbed his eyes, pushing the pile of paper back into his In-Box to deal with another day. There was only so much paper an ex-cop could look at in one sitting. The office had been quiet, with Kermit out on surveillance and the answering machine on to pick up calls, he hadn't been disturbed since sitting down several hours ago. He glanced at his desk clock, noting gratefully that Nicole was due there to pick him up within a half an hour.  
  
A sound in the outer office caught his attention, and he looked up. Peter's eyes widened at the sight of the middle-aged couple who had just come through the door to his office. The woman in particular. Her long dark, almost black hair hung loose around her shoulders, her gray eyes sparkled with nervous intensity.  
  
"Can I help you?" Peter asked, his eyes glued to the woman's face.  
  
"I hope so," she answered, reaching down to clasp her husband's hand for support. "We re looking for someone. We re looking for our daughter."  
  
Peter felt something deep inside him shift painfully and fearfully, some instinct telling him that he should have just stayed home today. "Have a seat." He indicated the two leather chairs in front of his desk. "Tell me about your daughter, how old is she? When and where did you last see her?" He took out a notebook and opened to a blank sheet.  
  
"She would be 30 years old now... and we haven't seen her since she was an infant, not in the flesh anyway..." the woman began to explain in a half excited, half frightened voice. "She was kidnapped, abducted when she was three months old, only we didn't know that, Mr. Caine, we thought she was dead." Her story spilled out in a wave of words and slow tears as her husband sat supportively at her side, holding her hand. "We thought she was dead or we would have looked for her. All these years we thought she was dead." It seemed very important to her that she get that across to Peter before continuing.  
  
Peter cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "So... what leads you to believe otherwise now?"  
  
"Because we saw her on a television news segment about eight months ago. We saw her and... we knew it was our daughter we were looking at. We've spent the past eight months having the situation looked into and investigated... and we're more certain than ever."  
  
"So, if you've already had the case looked into, why are looking to hire us?" Peter asked finally, feeling his heart skip in his chest.  
  
The woman reached across Peter s desk and picked up the framed photo of him, Nicole and the twins. "We re not looking to hire you. We're looking for our daughter," she whispered, pointing to Nicole.  
  
"Oh, my God...." Peter sank back into his chair, staring at them. There was no denying that this woman was the image of Nicole, and the man sitting by her side shared a few of Nick s features as well, but... the implications were too vast and far reaching for Peter to grasp all in one moment.   
  
"Is she here?" The man finally spoke up, his voice gentle and calming.  
  
"Ahhh, no..." Peter fought to regain his train of coherent thought. "She's not. She's home. We're moving today..." he shook his head. "Look, I don't know exactly what s going on here, but I know one thing, I m going to get to the bottom of the situation and get all the details verified and straight before I even think about taking any of it to my wife. No offense intended, and I apologize if I seem rude, but my wife is pregnant, and she has a history of hypertension during pregnancy and if she gets upset it could hurt her, or the baby, or both. I'm not going to take that chance for any reason, under any circumstance. I'd like to see whatever reports your previous investigators wrote up, what evidence they found that connects my wife to being your daughter, everything."  
  
The couple in front of him looked a little shocked, and more than a little disappointed. And a little frightened as well.   
  
"I didn't even get your names," Peter prompted, a little more softly.  
  
"Sorry, of course." The man leaned over and extended his hand to Peter. "I'm   
Doug Connelly and this is my wife, Caitlyn."  
  
Peter took the man s hand, his face expressing fresh shock. "...Caitlyn..." he repeated quietly when he found his voice. "Oh, my God..."   
  
You said she has a problem with her blood pressure when she's pregnant?"   
Caitlyn asked anxiously.  
  
"Ah, yeah," Peter tried to stop his head from spinning. "Yes, she does."  
  
"So did I. I had a very hard pregnancy with Sharon... I mean Nicole. We named her Sharon, you see. I came very close to not surviving the delivery. It was a difficult decision to have Monique three years later, so I do understand you're not wanting to upset her."  
  
"You did? Monique? Who... who's Monique?"  
  
"Monique is our other daughter. She'd be three years younger than your wife," Doug answered, pulling a snapshot out of his wallet and handing it across the desk to Peter. Nicole stared back at him from the photo. No, Peter corrected himself, not quite Nicole, there was something different about this girl, though she was about the same age in the photo as Nicole had been when they first met.   
There was something different that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something about the eyes... they were... unguarded. Her eyes reflected back an innocence and a joy, without fear or suspicion. The girl in the photo was Nicole without the anger, without the wariness and the worldly knowledge. *This is who Nicole would have been....* Peter handed the photo back sadly.   
  
"We'll drop off all the investigators reports to you tomorrow, along with copies of the birth certificate and anything else you need," Caitlyn offered, her hands shaking just a little as she stood. "You can't imagine what it's like to lose a child... only to find out that what you've really lost is a lifetime with a child who is still.... out there somewhere, being raised by strangers... " The woman's composure began to crumble and Peter s heart went out to her. If this was a ruse by an old enemy of his or Nicole's or his father's, then it was a pretty elaborate and well acted one.   
  
"I m sorry," Peter apologized quietly. "It's not that I don t want to believe you. I just can t risk losing my wife."  
  
"We understand." Doug agreed with a nod, wrapping an arm around his wife's slender shoulders. "I suppose we should be thankful that our daughter found someone so protective of her. I'll leave you our phone number and address in case you want to talk to us, otherwise we'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Peter stood and watched them as the walked out his office door into the reception area... and straight into Nicole.  
  
Peter's heart skipped several beats as he stood there, unable to stop what happened. Nicole smiled and started to move out of the way of the couple, an apology on her lips. An apology which never made it past the word, "Excuse...."   
  
Doug and Caitlyn Connelly froze in their tracks, staring in wide-eyed wonder at her, and she at them, startled to see her own image, granted twenty something years down the road, but her own image none-the-less, staring back at her. The older woman s tear stained face caught her attention immediately and Nicole glanced Peter who was standing speechless in the door to his office. "Are you all right?" Nicole finally asked the woman.  
  
"Fine..." Caitlyn answered her, trying to get her feet to move again, the knowledge that this was her daughter standing in front of her, only two feet away after 30 years kept her rooted to the spot.   
  
Peter finally found his voice, "Nick, I need to see you in here for a sec, please," he attempted to distract her.  
  
"Yeah, okay, just a second." She raised a hand to him.  
  
"We were just leaving." Doug averted his eyes and gently pulled his wife along with him as he quickly exited the office.  
  
Nicole stood still, staring after them until the were out of sight, disappearing onto the elevator. "Peter... who were those people?" she asked, turning back to him, her face drained of color.  
  
"Clients."   
  
"Clients," she repeated dully. "What did they want? And why was that woman crying?"  
  
Peter sighed tiredly, he didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want to upset   
her either. And it seemed he had no choice here, one way or the other he hated   
what he had to do. Her running smack into them had ruined any chance he d had of   
keeping this to himself until after the baby was born. "They re looking to get   
in contact with a long lost relative."  
  
"Peter... is it my imagination or did that woman look like... me?" she asked   
shakily.  
  
Peter crossed the room and put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her towards   
him, "No, it's not your imagination. Come on, come in the office and sit down, okay?" He guided her into his office and over to one of the chairs. He took the one next to her and held her hand, trying to decide what to do, and knowing that whatever he did would probably turn out to be the wrong thing.  
  
"Okay, Peter, spill it. Just... spit it out," she prodded him, knowing that if it warranted that look on his face she wasn't going to like it. "Who were they?"  
  
"I'm not sure. That s why I really didn't want to talk to you about this yet, because it could be nothing."  
  
"Peter...."  
  
"Okay. Here's the thing... they're looking for their daughter... who they claim was kidnapped as an infant, and her death staged for some unknown reason by some unknown party or parties."  
  
Nicole sat silently listening to him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. She'd lived with the man long enough to know when there was another shoe and when he was about to drop it.  
  
"And they say they saw that news segment about us... and saw you... and, well, because of the resemblance..." he hedged.  
  
"No." She shook her head, flatly denying what he was trying to tell her.  
  
"Nick, I m just telling you what they think... there s no evidence -"  
  
"No," she repeated more strongly. "Peter, my parents are dead. They died a long, long time ago. Whoever those people are, they are NOT my parents. Maybe she looks like me, but that s just a coincidence, everyone has a double, and maybe she s mine, just older, but my parents are long dead. I have an inheritance from them, I have my father's old car, they re dead."  
  
"Nick, this is not worth getting upset over. I'm going to look into this and   
see -"  
  
"They re NOT my PARENTS!" she insisted, rising from the chair, "What kind of parents believe that their kid is dead without questioning it?! Without looking into it?! Good God Peter, if someone told us that one of OUR kids was dead WE'D look into it! We d KNOW that it was or wasn't TRUE!"  
  
Peter got up and took her by the shoulders, his heart knowing what she was feeling, he d felt many of the same things when he found out his own father was alive after fifteen years. He remembered harboring those same thoughts and accusations in his heart. "I know. You're right. There's probably nothing to this but a weird coincidence. Come on, let s go home and finish packing." He could feel her trembling slightly beneath his hands and sent up a silent prayer that they weren't about to make another trip to the hospital.   
  
"Of course it s just a coincidence." she fumed. "Because if those people WERE my parents, I'd give them a piece of my mind for just sitting back and letting someone kidnap an infant, and letting that infant be raised by the Sing Wah.   
If those WERE my parents I d have a thing or two to tell them in the way of a big fat thanks for nothing!" Her voice was rising, her volume increasing. Peter cringed, knowing there was no stopping the explosion at this point. "If those WERE my parents that would mean that the HELL I WENT THROUGH for 16 years was all totally and completely unnecessary!" she screamed.  
  
Peter was helpless to stop her tirade, she was beyond hearing him or listening to reason. Her own fears and old insecurities were deafening her to his voice.   
The best he could hope for was the ability to do some damage control. Her anger apparently spent, she leaned against the wall, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Nick..." He approached her cautiously as one would a wounded tiger. He held his arms out and let her make the next move.  
  
"Why would someone do that?" she asked quietly, moving slowly into his embrace.   
"Why would somebody just... let someone like the Sing Wah have their child?"   
Nicole could feel the warning signs in her body. The ringing in her ears had started and her face felt flushed, she was having trouble getting her breath. She clung to Peter more tightly, "I don t feel so well," she whispered fearfully.   
  
Peter's heart sank, "I know you don't. Let's get you to the doctor."  
  
* * * * *   
  
"My God, Peter, is everything all right?" Kermit shocked voice came back to him over the phone line as he sat in the new house amidst boxes and bags that waited to be unpacked.  
  
"So far." Peter kept his voice low. "But she's scared, and so am I. My father's upstairs with her now, helping her relax. I tried, but..." he sighed miserably. "Kermit I know what she s going through. When Pop showed up... after a while I had the same anger towards him. Granted I didn't show it the way she does, but it was there. The questions about how he could have not known that his only child was still alive. All the time I spent in the orphanage... was for nothing, because my father was out there. I know what she s feeling."  
  
"What did the doctor say?"   
  
"He said that they re going to have to watch her more closely this time around, and that it s a good sign that she hasn't had any trouble up until now... but I can't risk upsetting her like that again. And I'm not going to. I need you to do me a favor. I need you to run background checks on these people. Whatever you can come up with. Even if they do turn out to be her parents I don't want them near Nicole during this pregnancy, but I need to know for sure, and I need to know quick. They re dropping off their investigators reports and birth certificate tomorrow at the office, maybe that'll give us some place to start."   
  
"If they're not who they say they are, they have no idea who they're messing with now," Kermit replied in a tight voice. "Tell Nicole to chill, everything is under control."   
  
"You tell her to chill, I've spent enough time in the hospital this year, thanks." Peter smiled half-heartedly.   
  
*********************  
  
Peter quietly entered the master bedroom, the house silent after his father's departure. Nicole lay curled up under the blankets in the bed in the half unpacked room. He stared down at his wife for a several minutes, her eyes were closed and her breathing regular. Asleep. He sent up a silent thanks to his father, he knew he couldn't have gotten her to sleep, his own heart was in too much turmoil to be of any good to her at that point. Soundlessly he stripped down to his briefs and t-shirt and crawled beneath the covers with her, leaving the door cracked to allow the light from the hall to dimly illuminate the strange new surroundings. He took a deep calming breath and exhaled, trying to release the tension, but found the method somewhat lacking. His chest hurt and he was exhausted, physically and emotionally, yet he knew that sleep would take its time claiming him. He reached out and gently pushed back an errant lock of hair from his wife's face, his eyes lingering on her calm features. She looked so at peace sleeping. And at no other time, he thought with mild amusement. To know the real Nicole, a person had to see her asleep.   
  
Peter closed his eyes, listening to the rhythm of her breathing, and knew the pain in her heart. He remembered will all to much clarity his time spent in the orphanage. The bald kid that got picked on, the one who turned sullen and irritable and angry with the world for taking first his mother, and then his father, and any trace of the life he'd known. A kid who d grown hair and an attitude. Headed for Pine Ridge, that s what everyone had said about him. A real troublemaker. His time at the orphanage had changed him forever. The scars from his time there would probably never heal, and to think that it had all been for nothing... If Paul and Annie hadn't taken him in when they did, it was likely that he would be in jail or dead already. For nothing. He understood the pain in Nicole's heart. But understanding it didn't go too far towards fixing it.   
  
Nicole mumbled something, incoherent in her sleep and moved towards the warmth of the body next to her. Peter reached out and pulled her into his arms without waking her, and closed his eyes again.  
  
***********************  
  
"They re Ozzie and Harriet from what I can see." Kermit shook his head, dropping a pile of folders and loose papers onto the conference table in the outer office.   
  
Peter stared up at him, "Tell me."   
  
"All right...." Kermit took a breath and started from the beginning. He must have been up half the night compiling the amount of information he was presenting to Peter. "Caitlyn Connelly, born Caitlyn Ryan in Boston Massachusetts, two sisters, both younger, one brother, fraternal twin," he cast a meaningful glance at Peter who made note of the implication. ".... graduated top of her class at Cambridge, married her classmate and sweetheart, Douglas Connelly while still in school, and moved to his home in the Midwest shortly after graduation. Her sisters Kelly and Madelyn, and brother Liam all still residing in the Boston area. The Connellys are scientists, specializing in bio-chemical engineering." Kermit paused, digging out several faxed photographs of the couple in their 20's. A wedding announcement from the newspaper, and two photos from college yearbooks. Aside from the enormous hairstyle the woman wore, she could have been Nicole. "In late 1967 the couple was blessed by the arrival of their first child, a baby girl whom they named Sharon..." Kermit pulled out a copy of the birth announcement. "And three months later, the child died, causes unknown." Another piece of paper joined the birth announcement. A copy of a death certificate.   
  
"All right, so that part of the story checks out... but... go on... what else?" Peter sat back in his chair.   
  
"Nothing else really. Three years later they had another baby, another girl, named Monique... and that s that. No criminal history, they show up for jury duty when called, not even a parking ticket for either one of them. The girl is attending university here in the city, doing her graduate work... These people are so wholesome and clean they practically squeak."   
  
"There's something you haven't said yet." Peter prompted, seeing the look on his face.   
  
"Yes, there is. The one time in their lives they had anything to do with the police was to report a theft in 1970."   
  
"What was stolen, Kermit?" Peter asked quietly.   
  
"A car," he answered. "Doug Connelly s blue 1967 Mustang convertible was stolen out of their driveway... and never recovered."   
  
"Oh.... shit..." Peter sighed, closing his eyes.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Monique Connelly walked into the office of Griffin/Caine Investigations shortly before lunchtime. She was dressed as any young graduate student might be, jeans and a university sweatshirt, white tennis shoes on her feet. And a smile, bigger and brighter than any Kermit had seen in quite some time. Except for the smile, he could have mistaken her for his partner. "You'd be looking for Peter I guess," he said, trying his hardest not to stare. It was uncanny.   
  
"Yes, is he here?" she asked hopefully.   
  
"Oh yeah, in his office. Go on in." Kermit pointed to the half open door.   
Peter had disappeared into his office an hour ago and Kermit hadn't heard a sound since.   
  
Peter looked up as she entered, smiling automatically and about to chastise his wife for getting out of bed when she was supposed to be resting, wondering how she'd gotten past his father's watchful eye, when he realized it wasn't her he was looking at. "You must be Monique," he stammered embarrassedly, rising to extend his hand to her.   
  
"That would be me. It's so nice to meet you, Peter." She grinned at him, her smoke colored eyes drifting across his desk to the same picture her mother had held the day before. She let go of Peter's hand and reached for the photo, her eyes wide, "Oh my God... this is her..." she whispered. "This is my sister..."   
  
Peter watched the girl's reaction. There was no way it was anything but sincere. "That's Nicole," he confirmed.   
  
Monique stared at the photo for a long moment, "And your kids... they're beautiful."   
  
"We think so," he laughed. "Where are your parents? I was expecting them."   
  
"Oh, right, sure." She looked up, replacing the picture back on the desk and handing over the attaché she carried with her. "They would have come, but Mom was pretty upset about what happened yesterday, and Dad thought it was best if I came, they didn't want to take a chance of running into her again."   
  
"Yeah." Peter's smile faded as he sat back down behind his desk. "I had to tell Nicole about them. She didn't take it well at all. I had to take her to the emergency room."   
  
"Oh, my God." Monique sank down into the chair in front of the desk, "Is she all right?" she asked, quick concern in her eyes.   
  
"She is," he assured her. "She just has to stay in bed for a while, which isn't going over big. But she's fine for now. And I'd like to keep it that way."   
  
"Of course. No, we'll do whatever you think is best. I brought the reports you asked for." She indicated the case of files she'd just handed him.   
  
"Thanks. I'll go over them later." He paused, glancing back up again. "I can't get over the resemblance."   
  
"Neither can I. When we first saw her on that news segment, God, we just knew it was her. Peter I can't even tell you what this means to us. To know that she's   
alive and well... to know that I have a sister..."   
  
"How do you feel about that?" he asked, seeing the enthusiasm in her eyes.   
  
"Are you kidding? I always wanted a sister. When I was little I used to imagine that Sharon was still alive, and all the stuff we'd do together. I know we're not kids anymore, but I want to get to know her."   
  
"That'll have to wait until after the baby is born. And even then, it's going to be her call on whether or not she wants to see you or your parents. I'd like to talk to your parents about the possibility of doing blood tests, just to cover all the bases," Peter gently suggested.   
  
"Yeah, of course." The light in her eyes dimmed a bit. "Tell me about her?" she requested quietly.   
  
Peter took a deep breath, not even sure where to begin. "She's complicated, Monique. It's more than likely that you've never met anyone like her. I won't get into a lot of detail, because I don't know how well that would go over with her right now. She had quite a different upbringing than you did, and she's a little wary of people. If and when you meet her, try to keep that in mind, and don't take it personally if she doesn't respond to you at first, if at all.   
But she's bright, intelligent, loves her kids... anything more than that you'll have to find out first hand I guess," he said with a shrug.   
  
"I'd like to. Very much. If you tell her I was here, tell her I said I'm looking forward to meeting her. And give her a hug for me," she requested, standing to leave.   
  
Peter smiled sheepishly, "That's another thing... if and when you meet her... I wouldn't start out with a hug hello. Not if you like your arms where they are."   
  
* * * * * * *   
  
Nicole pushed her food around her plate, the chicken breast making one more lap around the mashed potatoes she'd made a 'Close Encounters' mound out of. And she was quiet.   
  
"Don't like my cooking?" Peter prodded from the bedroom doorway.   
  
Nicole looked up at him and offered a half-hearted smile. "No, it's fine. I just haven't worked up much of an appetite lying here in bed all day. And that tea your father foisted upon me this afternoon kind of killed what little appetite I did have."   
  
Peter chuckled softly, coming into the room and removing the tray from her lap, placing it on the bureau. "Yeah, Pop's teas would sell like crazy as diet supplements. Other than that, how're you feeling?" he asked, making himself comfortable on the bed next to her.   
  
"Just ducky, thanks." She picked up the pile of papers she'd coerced Peter into giving her to read when he'd gotten home.   
  
"You read them?" he asked hesitantly.   
  
"I read them," she confirmed, shuffling them about some more.   
  
"And?"   
  
"And what? You don't have to bother these people with blood tests. Kermit didn't even need to bother digging up all this old junk."   
  
"We wanted to know. We wanted to make sure they were who they said they were before bringing any of this to you," he tried to explain.   
  
"I know you did. And I appreciate that. But I don't need to see the results of a blood test to tell me what I already know. You'd understand this better than anyone, when you run into your own parents, you know. I know I was upset yesterday, and I know I was pretty adamant about not believing... but I was lying to myself," she conceded in a quiet, flat voice.   
  
"Do you want to see them?" he asked, taking her hand in his.   
  
"No. I don't. Aside from the fact that I'm angry as Hell, I'm just too damn old to break in a set of parents. Who the hell needs it anyway. You and the kids, your father, the Blaisdells... you're all the family I need. Besides, can you see me at some big old family reunion thing with them? Oh, this is our daughter Monique, she's on the Dean's list, and our other daughter, Nicole, she used to kill people for a living," she laughed bitterly. "No. No. It's way too late for me to be part of Here Come the Nelson's or the Brady Bunch."   
  
"It's up to you," he assured her with a sigh, leaning back against the headboard and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "And you don't have to make a decision now, right this minute. I've already told them to just keep their distance until at least after the baby is born. But I have to tell you, they're not bad people. They seem nice. And they're sincere. I know what you're feeling. I went through the same thing when Pop showed up. I couldn't believe that he didn't know I was still alive. I couldn't believe that he hadn't come here searching for me when he finally showed up. I blamed him for all the time I'd spent in the orphanage... Just take your time about this, Nick. I don't want to pressure you one way or the other, just... take your time."   
  
Nicole leaned silently against him, her eyes closed, letting her thoughts wander. "What was she like?"   
  
"Who?" Peter asked, resting his cheek against the top of her head.   
  
"Monique."   
  
"She's nice." Peter shrugged, trying to be as impartial as possible. "She wants to get to know you."   
  
"Nice? That's pretty vague. " She looked up, running a hand distractedly through her hair. "I'm sorry. I hate putting you in the middle of this. You're tired and still recovering from the shooting and I'm asking you to run interference for me."   
  
"Nick, I don't know what you want. You seem so angry. I feel guilty no matter what I do here...they seem so sincere."   
  
She nodded. "I am angry. And I'm hurt. And I'm confused. But mostly I think I'm... I'm afraid. God, do I hate saying that. I don't want you to feel guilty or anything. You're doing something for me and it means a lot to me that you're doing it. But Mr. and Mrs. Connelly are one thing, this girl is another."   
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"She's not to blame for anything. She wasn't even born when whatever happened happened."   
  
Peter took a deep breath. "Do you want to meet with her yourself?"   
  
There was a protracted silence that made Peter begin to believe that perhaps she'd drifted off to sleep before she nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yeah."   
  
"Do you want me to call her and set it up, or do you want to do it yourself?"   
  
"Would you mind?"   
  
"No, not at all. Just let me know when and where you want to do it. But only if you're positive. I don't want you getting upset and..."   
  
Nicole interrupted, wanting to get this off her chest before she lost her nerve. "Saturday? I could meet her maybe at that diner on 8th?"   
  
"Okay. Let me warn you, she likes hugs."   
  
"Oh, shit. She's one of the huggy people?" she scowled. "Ahhhh jeeeez, suppose public displays of affection are in my blood."  
  
**********************  
  
"That's the last of it." Paul Blaisdell looked up from the miniature village he'd just finished helping Peter unpack and set up in the new den.   
  
"Do the honors, Dad." Peter smiled.   
  
Paul hit the small toggle switch and watched as the trains sparked to life, moving along their tracks through the village he and Peter had started creating together what seemed a lifetime ago. The child he'd built this with now had children of his own. And had named his first son after him. Yet it seemed like just yesterday that a kid named Peter, with an attitude that wouldn't quit had wandered downstairs into Paul's den and actually said, "Wow..." Quite possibly the first word without a bite of sarcasm that the kid had spoken in a long time.   
  
  
Peter pointed fondly to the locomotive. "You gave me that the first Christmas I was with you."   
  
"That we did." Paul glanced at the man beside him, and for a brief instant saw the child still. The slow smile that spread over his face, the glimmer in his eyes, there was still so much of that curious teen in Peter. And so much of the hurting child as well. "This thing with Nicole's parents showing up has really got you spinning, doesn't it?" he asked with a glance up.   
  
Peter nodded slowly, meeting Paul's eyes for only a second. "What are the chances of the both of us having our dead parents walk back in the door?"   
  
"Does seem strange, doesn't it?" he asked, slightly apprehensive. "Any chance this is not on the level?"   
  
Peter sighed and paced the den. "I think they're legit. Kermit has been checking out every detail, and you of all people know how thorough Kermit is. He's checking them within an inch of their lives at this very moment. And Nicole is sitting in a diner across town having lunch with a sister she didn't even know she had until a few days ago. She insisted that I stay home. She wants to handle this herself."   
  
"And you let her? In her condition?" Paul looked a little surprised.   
  
Peter shrugged. "Skalany and Jody are having lunch there too," he grinned slyly.   
  
"Ahhh... good thinking," Paul concurred, watching Peter continue to pace. He always had that energy to him, that restless energy that made a person tired just to watch him.   
  
"I feel like she's walking a path I've walked before. And I feel like I'm walking it with again with her."  
  
******************  
  
Nicole arrived for her lunch appointment with Monique Connelly five minutes early as usual. Old habits died hard. To her surprise, Monique was already there. Seated at a table in the middle of the dining area, she recognized her immediately. It was like looking in a mirror. Monique's face lit up as she approached and she stood.  
  
Nicole winced as she saw the 'huggy face'. But she couldn't help but stare. "You must be Monique," she greeted her with polite disbelief.   
  
"Yes, and you're Sharon... sorry, I mean Nicole," she apologized, moving to take her seat again, Peter's warning about the hugging ringing in her ears.   
  
Nicole looked at the table, and at the tables around it. "Let's get a booth in the back," she suggested automatically.   
  
Monique picked up her purse and followed her sister towards the back of the diner. "What's wrong?" she asked nervously.   
  
"Hmmm? Oh... nothing, it's just that the first table was in the middle of the room without a view of the door," she replied, selecting a booth where she could sit with her back to the wall and her eyes on the door. Old habits died hard. "Well... this is awkward..." she sighed, settling herself at the table.  
  
"It's not awkward, it's incredible..." Monique disagreed with enthusiasm shining in her eyes.   
  
One look at those eyes and Nicole knew she'd never fit in to any life this girl had. "So. Peter tells me you wanted to talk."   
  
"He's adorable." Monique blushed. "You're so lucky."   
  
"Okay, on that we agree," Nicole conceded quietly.   
  
"I did want to talk. I do want to talk. I wanted to get to know my sister. Mom and Dad would love to get to know you too."   
  
Nicole held up her hands in a 'slow down' gesture, "Whoa... one step at a time. As Peter already told all of you, I'm not supposed to be getting upset during this pregnancy, and if I lay eyes on them, trust me... I'm gonna get upset."   
  
Monique's expression fell a little. Peter had warned her about Nicole's being wary of people, but the way she looked at her, the way her eyes wandered around the diner, as though she was keeping an eye on everything that went on... and the hostility, barely concealed in her voice as she spoke of their parents.   
"Will you at least think about it? They were devastated. I lived with a ghost my whole life. They had your baby pictures all over the place. Each year on your birthday we visited the cemetery were we thought you were buried."   
  
"That's too gross Monique, really. I have a grave someplace with the name Sharon on it. " She shivered involuntarily.   
  
"Yes, you do, and two parents who never stopped grieving."   
  
She shook her head. "This is too much. I was brought up with the story that I'd been orphaned. They had fake inheritance set up, they even gave me an old car and told me it was my fathers. Which, it turns out it was. Nice people I grew up with, first they steal your kid, then they steal your car. They were thorough. Really thorough. I've never called anyone mom or dad. Not even my in-laws who I love very much. Just can't get the words out."   
  
"Tell me about it."   
  
"About what? About my life? You sure you wanna hear this?"   
  
"However you were raised, it's caused you a lot of pain. I want to understand my sister. I've had this image of what you would of been like, the things we would have done together had you lived. Peter told me I've probably never met someone like you, nor would I ever. I want to know who you are."   
  
Nicole sat staring at her, considering for a moment. She seemed so sincere and so gentle, and it would hurt her to hear these things, but if she and Nicole were ever going to have a relationship then it should be an honest one. "Okay. I don't know how much you know about the Sing Wah, but they're predators. Pure and simple. I don't know why they picked me to kidnap, maybe only your parents can tell you that."   
  
"Mom and Dad have never told me much about them. They never even considered the idea they had something to do with your death, not until recently. See, Mom and Dad are biochemical engineers and shortly before your birth they had some people come to them and wanted them to make something... something dangerous... Dad told them they wouldn't do it. Just after that, Mom and Dad started having all kinds of problems, the house caught fire one night, their bank accounts got all screwed up, they just figured they were having a run of bad luck. Now they know."   
  
"Yeah, they paid a price if it was the Sing Wah they crossed. They raised me, provided me with food and clothes and lies. And training. By the time I was 12 I already knew three dozen ways of killing someone without leaving a mark. I got beaten up by my 'brother' pretty much every day until I was old enough and skilled enough and angry enough to fight back and win."   
  
Monique paled. "You what?"   
  
"They were killers Monique. I was being trained as an assassin."   
  
She just sat there staring at Nicole, mouth hanging open.   
  
"So by the time I was maybe 15 I could take care of myself, fend for myself against my bother and he pretty much stopped attacking me. But I couldn't be what they wanted. I hated them and everything they stood for. So I took off when I was 17. In the Mustang they told me had belonged to my father."   
  
"What did you do then?"   
  
"Went to LA. Lived on the streets in the car. Waited tables but I got fired a lot for beating up customers. Had a near brush with prostitution. Got married to some kid who wanted to take me off the street. Watched him get gunned down by a street thug two weeks later. I put a couple of bullets in the punk right after that with this gun." She patted her holster almost affectionately. It struck Monique as an odd picture, this pregnant woman sitting across from her, armed. "Then I took off again. Joined up with a group as a paid mercenary. So I traveled the world for a few years, went to exotic places, met interesting people and killed them for a price. Got into the Trade when I was 18, left it at 21. Came back to the states and enrolled at the academy and trained to be a cop. The pay wasn't as good but I slept easier at night."   
  
"Sounds like a book. How could you live like that? And how'd you get out of that life?"   
  
"You live whatever kind of life you were brought up to live. It's all in what you're used to. My second assignment was in Chinatown at the 101st. My partner was an arrogant, self-centered, womanizing hot-shot named Peter Caine. Who I didn't trust as far as I could throw."   
  
"Then how did you two end up married?"   
  
"I still have no answer for that." She smiled, somehow the thought of Peter and the kids always brought a smile to her face no matter what. "My adoptive parents had been killed, but my brother was still out there, and wanted me dead. The Shaolin are sworn enemies of the Sing Wah, their polar opposite... and Peter and his father are Shaolin. Peter... helped me. He wouldn't stop until I trusted him. He saved my life in more ways than one. We became friends... and then lovers much later."   
  
"He's so protective of you. I only dream of finding a man who loves me half as much as he loves you, let alone that good looking."   
  
Nicole's smile became a laugh. "He's one of a kind. But you'll find someone just right for you. If even I can find someone to put up with me, you certainly can. And he IS kind of cute."   
  
"That's an incredible story." Monique shook her head, unable to comprehend what it was like to grow up without a loving family. "I'm proud to have you as a sister."   
  
Nicole groaned out loud. "Somebody is gonna mistake you for a sugar bowl... After all that? I'm shocked you're not running for the door. If you want to have to tell your friends, this is my sister, she used to kill people for a living."   
  
Monique's laughter was like sunshine on water. "Good. Now, your sister would like to do something."   
  
Nicole cringed visibly, holding up her hands in defense. "Uh-uh...I know that I'm gonna hug you look anywhere... "   
  
* * * * *   
  
Caine felt his son's approach long before he heard or saw him. Peter was good at many things, but hiding or suppressing his emotions was not among them. Peter was like an emotional broadcast tower, and at that moment he was broadcasting at full volume. The priest looked up from his meditations as Peter entered the room on quiet feet.   
  
"Hey, Pop... am I interrupting?" Peter greeted him from the entryway, leaning against the doorjamb.   
  
Caine rose to greet him, a slightly curious smile on his lips. Peter had come alone, without his wife or his children, which told Caine immediately that this was not a casual 'stopped by to say hi' kind of visit. He shook his head in response to the question and waved a hand to extinguish the half dozen candles that burned in the room. "You are not interrupting," he assured him quietly, waiting for his son to share just what was troubling him.   
  
"Oh. Good. Well, I just stopped by to say hi," Peter offered casually, pacing the room restlessly.   
  
Caine sighed. Though Peter was not accomplished at hiding his feelings, he was outstanding at beating around the proverbial bush. "You are always welcome here," he shrugged. As Peter paced and began making small talk about the kids, and work, Caine took a moment to truly look at the young man. His recovery from the shooting months earlier was progressing slowly but steadily. His energy level was far from what it normally would have been, and his color and weight were not quite his norm, but he was alive, and breathing on his own, and walking... it was nothing short of miraculous. Caine listened closely to Peter's rambling conversation, listening more for clues than for actual content, a skill he'd acquired when Peter was young. The dialogue drifted from topic to topic, work was busy... Kermit was fine... Cait was out of control... Kermit was teaching two year old Paul how to hack into the CIA computers... Nicole had lunch with her sister last week and the two of them were starting to get along just fine... Nicole's sister had been to the house and the kids had adored her... Caine was beginning to see the tide of the conversation turning...   
  
"Yeah, so Nick is fine about having a sister, she's even a little excited about it although she hates to admit it. But she still refuses to have anything to do with her parents. They've been to see me a couple of times now and they understand and all. See, Nick thinks that it's okay to see her sister because she wasn't even born when the Sing Wah took her."   
  
"I see..." Caine nodded, now beginning to see where the conversation was heading. "And she blames her parents for allowing the Sing Wah to exact revenge upon them through her."   
  
"Well... sort of." He shrugged uneasily.   
  
"They could not have known," Caine assured him quietly.   
  
"Yeah, but... everything that she went through growing up didn't have to happen, Pop. She could have grown up like a normal kid, in a normal home with her parents and her sister."   
  
"Perhaps that was not her destiny."   
  
"Destiny?" Peter's voice rose a little. "Destiny?"   
  
Caine nodded, wandering towards his workbench. "Yes. Had she been raised by the Connelly family, she would not be the person she is today. And she would not be where she is today."   
  
"You're saying that we never would have met..." Peter ventured tiredly. The thought had occurred to him as well. His wife might be married to another man, with children of their own if she had been brought up by her parents.   
  
"Perhaps not, though I cannot tell you that for certain. Is that is what troubles you? You feel... guilty?"   
  
"No. Yes. No, that's not it. Is it selfish, Pop? Is it selfish that a part of me is glad that she went through all of that? Because it brought her into my life?"   
  
Caine smiled softly. "No. It is not selfish. The two of you have built a life together, and she has begun to heal. The arrival of her family, and her contact with her sister may also help to mend some of the wounds."   
  
"Yeah, sure," Peter agreed, absentmindedly picking up item after item off his father's worktable, pretending to examine each one before replacing them. "But what about the wounds that are being opened up? I mean... I'd like to think that if someone told us that something had happened to one of our kids that we would know whether or not it was true." Peter's gaze finally came to rest on his father's face, a myriad of emotion in his hazel eyes. "How could you not know that your own flesh and blood child, a part of you, was alive somewhere? How is that possible, Pop?" he asked in a pain filled whisper.   
  
Caine felt his heart wrench painfully in his chest. This was what it was about. "When a parent is told that their child is dead... you cannot imagine the pain... the denial... the anger... There is little rational thought involved, and the feeling of loss clouds all other senses. The Connelly's were not doubt grief-stricken. As was I."   
  
"But, Pop... what about all those lessons you taught me? About how we'd always know where the other was... no matter what?" he questioned, his voice and posture suddenly more that of a ten year old boy than a man.   
  
Caine shook his head slowly. "I cannot explain what happened, Peter. I have asked myself the same questions over these last years, and I cannot explain... When Ping Hai told me of your death, I did not question it. Perhaps I had almost expected it. When I lost your mother..." The normally composed Shaolin's voice broke almost imperceptibly. "When I lost your mother... I lost some of the inner hope we are all born with. I expect that it made it easier to believe that you too had been taken from me. The news came from someone I trusted... and I did not question."   
  
Peter's frustration level was rising by degrees. "But, Pop..." he near pleaded, "How about after the shock wore off?? We're not talking about a couple of weeks, we're talking about fifteen years! Fifteen years! All the time I spent in the orphanage, thinking my whole family was dead, thinking that I didn't have anybody in the world who gave a DAMN about me! And then later, we were in the same city and even then you didn't know I was here... you didn't know, Pop... I've seen you find missing children for other people... and you couldn't know I was alive?"   
  
Caine waited patiently until Peter had finished, letting him vent, allowing him the freedom of anger without judgment. "I can only tell you that I am sorry... that I mourn for the lost time, and regret the problems it has caused, and is still causing between us now. I know the grief the Connelly's went through when they lost their child. I know the joy they must have felt upon realizing that the child was still alive and well. I, myself, was reunited with my own father after a long period of time. What I cannot know is the pain they must feel now, seeing that child walk away from them."   
  
Peter sighed, leaning heavily against the wall. "When I saw you again... when I knew it was you... " He shook his head, unable to express in words the emotions that had surged through him in that hospital room...   
  
"Peter, these feelings you harbor may never be resolved to your satisfaction. It is a part of life, of human nature. What matters is that you and I have realized what is important."   
  
"And what exactly is that, Pop?" Peter asked, fearing a cryptic answer was forthcoming.   
  
"That we are stronger when we face things together."   
  
* * * * *   
  
"Nick, I'm glad you've been spending time with Monique. I think this be good for you."  
  
Nicole nodded in awe, still staring at the door Monique had just closed behind her. "THAT... was my sister."   
  
"Yes, she is. You two look so much alike it's obvious you're related. But personality wise you're complete opposites." Peter wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, relieved beyond belief that she was taking all of this so calmly. It had been nearly a month since she'd first met with Monique Connelly, and the two of them had gotten together several times already. Monique had gotten to spend a little time with the kids, spoiling them rotten as only an aunt could do.   
  
"Complete opposites is right. She's nice."   
  
The fact that Nicole had finally learned to laugh at herself a little amused Peter to no end. "So are you. In your own way. She's quiet, unobtrusive... I think that would drive me crazy."   
  
"Really? I was just thinking how much better off you would have been with her than me," she half joked.   
  
Peter shook his head, his hands lightly massaging her aching lower back, "I don't think so. We're so much better suited personality wise. If I'd wanted a quiet door mouse for a wife, I would have stayed with Kelly. By the time we'd broken up I was ready to strangle her."   
  
"Kelly..." Nicole wrinkled her nose up in disgust and shook her head, "Echhh.... no hope for Kelly. My sister, on the other hand, has potential. I think I could save her from being unobtrusive for the rest of her life."   
  
"If anyone can you can. I could see the hero worship in her eyes. What exactly did you two do today?"   
  
"Hero worship? God, that's funny. I just took her down to Chinatown and showed her around."   
  
"And just last week she managed to talk you into a shopping trip. Ewww... a girl thing... how could you stand it?" he teased, his eyes lighting up.   
  
A wide silly grin spread across her face. "Because next time we're going to go to the indoor firing range," she announced, pulling away from Peter and walking up the stairs, headed for the kids rooms.   
  
"That's the Nick I know," he laughed in relief.   
  
"And love. Don't forget that part," she stopped halfway up the stairs and looked back down at him. "She likes you, you know? Because you adore me."   
  
Peter started to follow her up the stairs, the twins had just been too quiet.   
"What's not to adore?"   
  
"You must want something. You don't usually suck up to me this much. Did you break something?" she asked, giving him the stern look she would give Cait.   
  
"Oh, I love the trust and belief you have in me. Putting me on the same level as our daughter."   
  
"Well she learned it SOMEWHERE didn't she? Now fess up... what did you do?"   
  
Peter stood his ground with an indignant look on his face, "Hah, you'll never break me."   
  
"Oh, man... If Cait picks this up from you she and I are gonna have a real bad few years ahead of us," she groaned, continuing up the stairs.   
  
"Good thing I'll be around then."   
  
"Oh sure, around to let her get away with murder."   
  
"Like you won't be doing the same with Paul. You're as much wrapped around his little finger as I am around Cait's."   
  
"Oh, I am not! Besides, Paul never gets into trouble. He may be a few minutes younger, but I have the feeling he's going to be the one trying to keep your daughter out of trouble his whole life."   
  
"He gets into his own trouble, he's just quieter about it. After all, he's the one who can't even read, but loves to hack. He's spending waaaaay too much time around Kermit."   
  
"They're really something aren't they? It's hard to believe they're twins."   
  
"They're a blending of us, that's for sure."   
  
"Who would have thought? This one is going to different though." Her hand went to her abdomen. "There's something different about her already." Nicole paused outside the Cait's room, she could hear the twins inside, playing quietly for a change.   
  
"She's giving you fewer problems."   
  
"It's not just that. I think she's actually... helping me."   
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"I think she's giving me strength. Strength to deal with what happened to you, strength to deal with what's happening with me right now."   
  
"Maybe she knows that if you can deal with this, it will help to heal some old wounds."   
  
"Oh, I think I'm way beyond being able to heal any more wounds than you've already healed. But I think she's somehow helping me to deal with all of this new... stuff without going ballistic."   
  
Peter nodded in agreement. "She knows her life and yours depends on staying calm and not going ballistic."   
  
"That's why I still don't want to see... them. Okay? Monique is welcome here, and I want Paul and Cait to know her, and I want to get to know her... but... that's as far as I can go."   
  
"I'm fine with that, I'm not about to try and push you into something you don't want. I know better. I have learned a few things about you in the last three plus years."   
  
"Yes, you've learned that fear can be a healthy thing." She patted his cheek affectionately. "How're you feeling tonight? You hungry?"   
  
"Not really, the kids and I had our own fun while you were gone. I'll warn you, they'll probably be hyper most of tonight."   
  
"Please, eat something." She looked him in the eye. He was still about ten pounds underweight since the shooting. "Doctor Nick wants you to eat something."   
  
Peter groaned, "I've been pigging out all afternoon... you want me fat?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"What were you planning on cooking?" he sighed heavily in her ear, resting his chin on her shoulder.   
  
"I was going to make lasagna. You know how much the kids love to try to make a mess with the sauce."   
  
"By the way, we're going out tonight to buy harnesses and leashes for both of them."   
  
"Why don't we just have the ones I bought for you cut down? I think I'll go see if either of the tiny terrors want to help me make dinner."   
  
"They will, as long as you let them make a mess."   
  
"Since when have I ever let them make a mess?" she asked indignantly, pulling away and heading into the bedroom. "Okay, kids... start putting the toys away and you can help Mom with dinner."   
  
Peter stuck his head in the door to see Paul picking up toys and putting them back into the toybox... and Cait taking them back out just as fast with a defiant look on her face.   
  
"Oh, Cait! Come on... put them back..." Nicole sighed, meeting her daughter's stare.   
  
Peter leaned against the door and grinned silently at the matching glares his wife and daughter were shooting at each other.. Paul went to his father's side, instinctively not wanting to get in the middle of this. Cait looked at Peter and realized suddenly that she had been caught making 'the face' and smiled at him radiantly, "Daddy!"   
  
The grin quickly faded. "Uh uh, this one's between Mommy and you."   
  
Nick shot him a look. "Cait, you pick up your toys and put them away right now, or you can't help Mommy make dinner."   
  
Cait glared at Nicole, and then smiled again at her daddy, holding her arms to be picked up.   
  
Peter shook his head, then turned and left the doorway, taking Paul with him.   
  
"Daddy?" she called after him.   
  
Nick knelt on the floor next to Cait. "Come on... put them back, you know the rules."   
  
Nicole and Cait could hear Peter and Paul as they went down the hall, "Come on, Paul, you can help me make the garlic bread, okay? Great. What do you want on it?"   
  
"Everything!" came the loud, enthusiastic reply.   
  
"Okay, so we'll have pickles, olives, anchovies, peanut butter, what else on the garlic bread?"   
  
"Chocolate!"   
  
"Okay, and chocolate." Peter started to tickle him as they made their way down the stairs.   
  
Cait's face was red, the pout full blown as she stomped her foot and screamed in a chant, "No! No! No!" She could hear her brother getting all her father's attention downstairs and didn't like it one bit.   
  
Nicole sat on the bed, silently, not giving her fuel for the fire. "All right. No dinner then."   
  
Cait's glare intensified at that one. She stomped her foot once more and screamed, "NO!"   
  
"You know if you picked up your toys you could be out here having fun too. Helping make sauce and garlic bread... but not if you don't stop screaming young lady." Nicole knew full well that she would have been black and blue by now if she'd done this as a child. Cait continued to stand there glaring daggers at her. Her arms crossed over her chest, but it was obvious from her eyes that she was thinking things over. Nicole waited, almost amused at the look. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hungry. And you don't want Daddy to use up all his tickles do you?"   
  
A look of dismay crossed her face. Her stance softened a little. "You help?"   
  
Nicole, tired and emotionally drained from the day, got down on the floor with Cait and handed her a toy to put away. "I'll help."   
  
The partial victory almost surprised the child. She stood there for a second before starting to pick up some of the toys closer to her.   
  
After the toys had been picked up, Cait looked over at Nicole, walked over, and threw her arms around her mother's neck in a tight hug. Nicole hugged her back fiercely, it was so rare that she showed any affection for her mother... her father yes, but her mother always wound up being the bad guy.   
  
"You know Mommy loves you, right?" she asked softly. Cait nodded against her neck. "Good. Don't you ever forget that. Now why don't you go see Daddy, and I'll be out in a minute and we'll make dinner, okay?"   
  
"Okay?" Cait asked, pulling back to meet her mother's grey eyes.   
  
"Yeah... " she answered, kissing her cheek. "Everything's okay. I promise. You can go see Daddy now. And you can tell him you were real good."   
  
Cait glanced back at her before rushing off to find her father. "I was real good!" she announced loudly.   
  
* * * * * *   
  
The remainder of Nicole's pregnancy passed in a fairly uneventful fashion. There were no further explosions, or unplanned trips to the emergency room. Monique became a regular visitor in the new home they gradually settled in to. Peter and Paul Blaisdell had constructed a back yard playground for the kids on one side of the yard, and Peter and Caine had begun work on a small koi pond and garden on the other side.  
  
The twins third birthday was celebrated in a spectacular fashion, with the adults staying long after the guests of honor had fallen asleep on the floor in front of the fire, their presents surrounding them like a giant fortress, and had been carried up to bed.   
  
The new nursery got a fresh coat of dusty rose pink paint, as Nicole was insisting the baby was going to be a girl. A girl who would shift the hormonal balance in their home, and be molded in her own image, further advancing her own plans for female world domination.   
  
Peter's recovery progressed, his weight finally returning to normal, and with it, his energy level. Energy he was in desperate need of as the bulk of the work at Griffin Caine Investigations fell upon his and Kermit's shoulders during the latter portion of Nicole's pregnancy. He also returned to working out with his father on Saturdays, occasionally bringing the kids with him.   
  
Despite the fact that her blood pressure was down and her spirits up, Peter's fears concerning the events of the last delivery weighed heavily upon him. And despite the fact that he had made promises to the contrary, during the last weeks, he had begun hovering.   
  
"Go to work, Peter," Nicole ordered quietly from her resting place on the sofa in front of the television.   
  
"I was thinking I'd just take today off... and maybe tomorrow..." Peter hedged, sitting on the coffee table beside the couch.   
  
Nicole opened her eyes and looked at him, mild amusement in her glance. "Hey,   
pal... I don't even want your FEET on the coffee table, nevermind your ass."   
  
Peter chuckled, moving from the table to the end of the couch. "Come on, Nick, your due date is coming up quick and I just think I should stick around."   
  
"... and hover..." she finished the statement for him.   
  
"And help," he corrected.   
  
"Go to work, Peter," she repeated, closing her eyes again. She'd been up half the night tossing and turning as much as physically possible.   
  
"Nick..."   
  
"Peter..."   
  
"All right, Nicole. I'm going. Against my better judgment, I'm going. But I'm taking Cait and Paul with me to the office, you can't be running after them all day."   
  
"You're a prince among common men, Peter... truly..." She cracked a smile as she got as comfortable as she could on the large sectional.   
  
"I know," he agreed with a smile, bending to kiss her forehead before going off in search of the tiny terrors.   
  
Fifteen minutes later, jackets and shoes on, Peter hustled the kids towards the door. "Nick, are you sure?" he asked one last time.   
  
"Go to work, Peter..." she replied without looking up.   
  
Peter checked his jacket pockets, "I'm going. I've got my cell phone, call me if you need anything before I get to the office."   
  
"Go to work, Peter..."   
  
"I'm going. I'll be home early this afternoon, and I'll pick up something for dinner."   
  
"Go to work, Peter..."   
  
"I'm going. Promise me you'll rest today."   
  
"I'm trying! Go to work, Peter..."   
  
"I'm going." He started to laugh a little at himself. "I'm going for real this time," he assured her with a smile as he knelt down beside the couch for a moment and kissed her lightly on the lips. She opened her eyes and smiled. "I know... Go to work, Peter..." he laughed, rising to his feet.   
  
With a satisfied smile, Nicole pulled the afghan off the back of the couch and closed her eyes again, drifting off to sleep soon after she heard the car pull down the driveway.   
  
The first contraction startled her from slumber an hour later.  
  
Nicole's eyes shot wide open as she gasped in surprise, "Oh no... no, no, no..." she half laughed, "Come on, kiddo... cut me a break, huh? You're not supposed to be doing this until next week, or didn't anybody tell you?" Struggling to sit up, she called out for Peter, listening to the answering silence before memory hit her. "Ahhhh no.... How could he go to work when I'm gonna have a baby for crying out loud?" she grumbled. "All right... fine... I'll call the office..." she began talking to herself. "I'll call the office, and he'll come home and we'll go to the hospital... fine..." Nicole was halfway to the portable phone when the next contraction hit, not as hard as the previous one, but a definite contraction. "Ohhhhh boy.... Ooookaaaay.... phone...." she mumbled to the silent house, grabbing the portable and punching in the number at the office.   
  
"Griffin Caine," a familiar voice answered the on the other side.   
  
"We gotta get a secretary," Nicole kidded Kermit.   
  
"Nicole, hey, what's going on?"   
  
"Same old... put Peter on wouldya?" she asked, trying to stay as calm as possible, they had plenty of time...   
  
"No can do. He went downtown for a couple of hours on a security consult. I was just in the middle of showing Paul how to get into the computers at NASA."   
  
"Good, oh great," she sighed, "I'll try him in the car." She hung up quickly without saying good-bye, hitting the speed dial for Peter's cell phone, and listening to it ring. After four rings she was greeted with the computerized voice that told her the cellular customer she was calling was unavailable or had traveled beyond the calling area. Cursing out the computerized voice, she dialed the office again.   
  
"Griffin Caine."   
  
"It's me again, he's not answering. Can you get hold of him, fast?"   
  
"Nicole?" Kermit sat up in his chair. "What's wrong?"   
  
"Nothing's wrong, I'm just having a baby, that's all."   
  
"Not today," Kermit tried to assure her.   
  
"Oh, thank you very fucking much, Doctor Frog. Yeah, today. Kermit," she contradicted, trying to keep the irritation and panic out of her voice.   
  
"Oh, shit... I'll be right over, I'll keep trying him from the car, sit tight."   
  
"No, Kermit, I'll just go to the hospital and meet you guys there, just find him for me, okay? I've only had a couple of contractions, I've got lots of time. See you there." She hung up quickly and slipped her shoes on, muttering and cursing, until she got the front door open and saw her sister walking up the driveway.   
  
"Nicole, hi! Where're you going?" Monique asked, surprised to see her sister up and out at that point.   
  
"Not me - we. And we're going to the hospital, you're about to be an aunt again." She breathed a silent thank you heavenward and turned her sister around, heading her back out to her car.  
  
*******************  
  
Kermit hit redial on his cell phone once more as he drove towards the hospital, and met with the same frustrating message from the same inane voice. He changed tactics and punched in Peter's beeper number again as well for the fifth time in as many minutes, "Come on Peter... call.. call..." he chanted under his breath, trying to keep a calm look on his face for the benefit of his two small passengers. His phone rang as he pulled into the parking lot, "Pete?!?"   
  
"Jeeez, Kermit, what? I've been gone two hours, are the kids terrorizing you that much?" he laughed.   
  
"No, they're fine, but you better get over to County, you're about to be a father again."   
  
"WHAT?!?!"   
  
Kermit flinched, pulling the phone away from his ear, "You heard me, I've got the kids, we're just about to go in."   
  
"I'll be right there." Peter slammed down the receiver of the pay phone and sprinted back to his car.  
  
* * * * * *   
  
"I'm glad you were there. How's she doing?" Peter asked Monique as he finished filling out the admitting forms for Nicole. His hands were shaking and he was anxious to get up to maternity before she delivered. The fear of a repeat performance of the last delivery was now with him in full force.   
  
"She's fine. A little less than amused that she couldn't find you, but she's fine," she assured him as she followed him to the elevator. "She's pretty calm actually. I don't think you have to worry about..." her voice trailed off uncomfortably.   
  
"My cell phone died this morning. I didn't even realize it until Kermit beeped me." Peter looked over at her, a little surprised. "You two really have been talking."   
  
"Yeah, we have. She called me a couple of times last week. She was a little lonely for adult company with you at the office... That's why I dropped by this morning, I hadn't heard from her yet and I was thinking I'd surprise her. So, yes, we've been talking a lot. She told me all about last time. God, how horrible. But, I'm sure this time will be different."   
  
The elevator doors slid open and Peter was out before they'd stopped, pulling Monique along with him, his eyes frantically searching the hall for a doctor or nurse he knew. "I hope so. For one thing, she's had an easier time, not as many problems. Plus there's only one. We had them check about a hundred times. Do you know which room she's in?"   
  
"Yes, 223, right down here..." Monique nodded, leading him into the room.   
  
Nicole was lying in bed, the monitors quietly beeping at the side of the bed. Given her past history no one was taking chances this time around.   
  
"Hey! My missing husband." She smiled up at him, in a surprisingly pleasant frame of mind.   
  
"Nick, I'm sorry, my cell phone died on me... and I should have stayed home in the first place." He came directly to the side of the bed and kissed her forehead. "How're you doing?"   
  
"Fine, not bad, okay, really, okay." She attempted to smile, but the moment of truth was near, and the closer she came to giving birth, the more nerve wracked she was becoming.   
  
Peter sat carefully next to her, taking her hand in his, and kissed the palm. "You're not screaming quite as loudly."   
  
"And YOU don't have amnesia." She grinned despite herself.   
  
"See? Things are going better already."   
  
"Yes, and this time you're not the only one with family here for the birth." She glanced over at Monique, who she'd come to accept not only as a sister, but as a friend.   
  
"I'm glad she's here. That reminds me." Peter reached for the phone. "You've got Kermit in an extreme panic with two loud and obnoxious monsters right now. I sent them home. I could hear Cait and Paul in the background. They're driving him crazy. You should have let me stay home this morning, Nick... you have to listen to me once in a while."   
  
"Do you see how he treats me?" she asked Monique. "I think talking to me like that is grounds for divorce.... OW!" She clamped down on Peter's hand as a contraction hit her.   
  
Peter waited until the contraction was over and he had some feeling back in his hand before responding. "She can't leave me. Who wants a single mother with three kids."   
  
"Funny. You're a funny guy."   
  
"I'm going to get a cup of coffee." Monique edged towards the door with a nervous smile. "You want, Peter?"   
  
"No, thanks."   
  
Nicole started to panic a little, as the twinges and movements of the baby started getting a little more pronounced. "I can't do this, Peter! I can't do this!"   
  
One hand came up and to stroke the hair away from her face. "Yes, you can, Nick. Stay calm, this time everything is different."   
  
"No, no..." She shook her head. "I can't do it. I don't know why I thought I could do this, I can't do this."   
  
Peter felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It's a little late now. Just think, before you know it, you'll be looking at our daughter, holding her, welcoming her to this world."   
  
"No more, Peter... no more... Promise me if I make it through this... no more after this one, okay? I can't, I can't do this again...OW!"   
  
Peter almost jumped off the bed as he felt her fingers sinking into his hand again. "Fine, three's enough. You're doing fine. You need to stay calm and relaxed."   
  
"We can adopt if we want more, okay?" Taking deep breaths and trying to calm down, she started to get out of bed.   
  
"Where're you going, Nick?"   
  
"I have to walk around... walk off the pain..."   
  
"Let me see if they want you to. They've got you hooked up to a lot of monitors."   
  
She stopped suddenly with an anxious look. "I don't think there's going to be time to walk around anyway... My water broke... Oh, my god... this is it...OWWWWW...."   
  
Peter looked frantically around the room for some way to summon the doctor, slamming down on the call button above the bed.   
  
Nicole's doctor hurried into the room, with a nurse behind him, checking the fetal monitors carefully. The nurse got her settled back in the bed, speaking to her in calm reassuring tones, as the doctor asked Peter to step out into the hall with him for a moment.   
  
Peter felt the panic settle into his heart. "What's wrong?!"   
  
"She's doing fine so far, I just wanted to speak with you for a moment. We need to keep her calm. Calm has been the key to this whole pregnancy. However, we're not taking any chances. I have a surgeon standing by in case we have to do a section, and all the necessary emergency precautions are being taken."   
  
All color drained from Peter's face. "You're expecting that what happened last time will happen again."   
  
Dr. Stern shook his head, laying a hand on his forearm. "We're not 'expecting' it to happen, no. But with her history, we just want to be ready in case. We just want to be prepared for anything. But as I said, so far she's doing just fine on her own."   
  
"She's scared. So am I."   
  
"I understand. But if she sees that you're scared, she'll become more agitated and frightened herself. You must remain calm to be of any good to her right now."   
  
"I'll try my best," Peter promised shakily.   
  
"Good, let's see how our patient is doing."   
  
Peter smiled nervously at him and followed along back into the room, the smile still plastered on his face. Headed directly for the bedside, he took his wife's hand in his own again, giving her a reassuring squeeze.   
  
"What...?" She looked up at him, traces of fear in her eyes.  
  
"Nothing, really. I love you, and I can't wait to see you holding this baby."   
  
Nicole cringed as another contraction hit. They were prepping her for delivery. "I love you too, with all my heart, but so help me if you make me do this again... I'll kill you..."   
  
Peter chuckled. "Nick, no one can make you do anything you don't want. And before you kill me, you might want to take out more life insurance... need to pay for all these kids somehow."   
  
Another contraction hit. "I already upped your insurance policy as high as it'll go," she told him through clenched teeth.   
  
"Then I'd better watch my back." Peter winced as she squeezed hard enough for him to be certain she'd broken something in his hand.   
  
"You've been watching your back for years and you know it... OW! Oh my God!!!"   
  
The doctor's encouraging voice coached her, "Get ready to push, Nicole. You're fully dilated and this baby want to make her entrance."   
  
"Come on, Nick. This is almost over," Peter encouraged her, trying to keep his voice calm and steady.   
  
"You're doing fine Nicole," the doctor reassured her, looking at Peter. "Now get ready... take a deep breath and push now..."   
  
Nicole pushed, and collapsed against the pillows, breathing hard. Another pain hit and she screamed.   
  
Peter shot the doctor a panicked look. Every scream was reminding him he almost lost her the last time they went through this. He was beginning to think that Nicole was right, neither of them could go through this again.   
  
Dr. Stern caught Peter's expression and glanced at the monitors, shaking his head. "You're doing fine, now get ready to push again, everything's fine. Now push for me again..."   
  
Nicole pushed again, though she was sure she was going to start bleeding again any second and die.   
  
Peter tried with everything in him to keep a tight lid on those same thoughts.   
Helping support her as she pushed, then giving her something to rest against when she wasn't, he kept up with the steady encouragement. The nurse handed him a washcloth and he wiped some of the sweat from her face. "You're doing great, Nick. This little gal wants to see her mom so the two of you can plot out your world domination scheme."   
  
"First thing we're gonna do is have you fixed..." she growled as she pushed again, then collapsed against him, another pain coursing through her. "Peter, don't leave me this time, please don't leave me."   
  
"I'm not going anywhere."   
  
"Another push Nicole," the doctor instructed, looking up. "I see the head, Nicole, come on, you're almost there."   
  
Peter face lit up with a relieved grin. He placed a kiss against her sweaty temple, then wiped her face off once again. "Told you you could do this. You're almost there, Nick."   
  
"I can't... I can't..." she panted, pushing again with a scream.   
  
"Yes, here's the head... rest for just a minute Nicole... One more big one and we'll have a baby here..." Dr. Stern coached.   
  
Peter could see the baby as she was born, and was amazed. The first time, with Cait, before everything went wrong, he'd been amazed but certain he was going to hit the floor face first any second. "Come on, Nick. You've never been a quitter, don't stop now. Once that head's out, the rest is a piece of cake."   
  
"Piece of cake for who, pal?!" she snapped at him. "Let me see YOU pass a BOWLING BALL!!!"   
  
Dr. Stern laughed softly behind his mask, "Ok, Push Nicole."   
  
Peter smiled again, despite the mental image he'd just gotten in his head, and helped support her as she pushed.   
  
"I have the shoulders now, Nicole, relax... You have a daughter."   
  
"You did it," Peter whispered in relief and wonder he watched the doctor cut the cord and hand the baby to a nurse, who wrapped her up and brought the crying infant to them.   
  
The panicked look returned to Nicole's face as another pain hit, another contraction. Grabbing hold of Peter's hand, she cried out, "Oh, God... Not again!"   
  
Peter felt his world crashing down around him until he heard the doctor's voice, cutting through his haze of hysteria.   
  
"Relax, Nicole," the doctor's voice instructed. "These contractions are for the afterbirth, there aren't any more babies in there."   
  
Nicole relaxed visibly as the nurse handed them the baby girl. "And there aren't ever going to BE any more in there." She looked pointedly at Peter, who just smiled.   
  
"I heard you the first twenty times, Nick."   
  
"I was just repeating myself in case you couldn't hear me through those thick pants."   
  
* * * * *   
  
Monique found Peter standing in the cafeteria, leaning against the far wall, sipping a cup of coffee, a contented smile on his face.   
  
"Hi there." She waved a hand in front of his face to capture his attention. "I took a peek into the nursery. She's just as gorgeous as I knew she would be."   
  
The smile spread ear to ear as his eyes lit up. "Thanks. I think I'm in more awe this time than last. With the twins I was on total autopilot. This time I'm able to enjoy the experience. It was amazing, Monique, absolutely incredible."   
  
"I'm sure it was! They always talk about the glow of pregnant women, but I think new fathers are pretty radiant too," she teased. "Do you have a second?"   
  
"Sure." Peter nodded, guiding her to the nearest table. "What's up?"   
  
Monique settled in at the table with her brother-in-law, approaching the subject tentatively. "I would like to talk to you about our parents... They're in the waiting room. I know what we agreed, but they just wanted to be here, in the same hospital, even though they know she won't see them. They would like to see the baby, or... meet the kids... if you think Nicole would allow that... I just wanted to talk to you before I talked to her."   
  
Peter sat silently for a moment. He liked the Connelly's... and they had just become grandparents again... and they'd never even seen anything but pictures of their three grandchildren. "We'll talk to Nick," he nodded. "Keep your fingers crossed."  
  
*******************  
  
Nicole opened her eyes at the sound of the door opening. She'd been settled in her room and the baby taken to the nursery, the relief at having made it through the delivery still with her. Alive, and well and able to return home with her baby soon. Sleep had been evading her no matter what she tried.   
  
"Nick?" Peter softly called out as he opened the door.   
  
"Hi." Her eyes lit up seeing him, and she sat up a little.   
  
"You up for a visitor or two?" he asked, coming into the room with Monique behind him.   
  
"Sure." She smiled, patting the side of the bed.   
  
Peter settled down onto the bed beside her and kissed her cheek. "How are you feeling?"   
  
"I feel good. Sore as hell, but good. Relieved. I didn't know how scared I was of this day until it was here. Did you see her?" she asked Monique.   
  
"I did. She's gorgeous."   
  
Peter grinned. "My genes had to come out in at least one of the kids."   
  
Nicole scowled. "Yeah, your jeans are what got us here."   
  
"We were both there, Nick. I didn't do any of this alone."   
  
"Oh sure... blame me... give me a hard time when I just gave birth. God, there's just no sympathy..." She paused, looking from her sister to her husband and sighed. "Spill it Peter."   
  
Peter took a deep breath, taking her hand in his. "We have a few questions for you."   
  
"It wasn't me, I swear, I have an alibi," she tried to joke, then sobered. "Ok... ask."   
  
"The Connellys are out in the waiting room."   
  
Nicole's eyes grew wide, a potential explosion in them. "So?"   
  
"They'd like to see you, and if you'll let them, they'd like to see the kids."   
  
"No way. Not a chance. I can't stop them from peeking in the nursery window but  
I sure as hell can keep them from getting their hands on the twins. No. I don't know them, I've never met them, and I'm not putting my kids in the hands of strangers." She glanced at Monique and saw the sharp pain in her sister's eyes and kicked herself.   
  
Peter looked apologetically towards Monique. "Calm down, Nick. We're not going to force you into this. The decision is yours, at least think about seeing them yourself. Get to know them, then you can think about the kids maybe seeing them."   
  
"Why? Why should I? I'm a little too goddamn old to be breaking in a new set of... parents," she spit out the word.   
  
Peter sighed, "You won't even think about it?"   
  
Nicole took one last glance at her sister. "Fine. Five minutes."   
  
"Only if you want to," Monique offered quietly.   
  
"I said five minutes. Alone." Nicole remained resolute.   
  
Monique smiled hopefully and went for the door. "Thanks. I'll get them."   
  
"You should see them with an open mind Nick. Meeting them angry, upset, and in a confrontational mood is not going to work," Peter warned.   
  
"I said 5 minutes. My mind is open. You wanted me to meet them, so I'm meeting them. Alone."   
  
"I'm not arguing with you. I'm willing to let you do this on your own terms. I'm just asking that you keep an open mind."   
  
"Peter..." She shot him that old warning look that said 'shut up now and don't push your luck'.   
  
Peter stood with a half smile. "Fine, I'm out of here. I'm going to go see our daughter."   
  
Nicole's expression softened immediately. "She IS going to look like you. I can tell."   
  
"We're going to be in trouble down the road."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"The boys sniffing around our daughters."   
  
"They won't be doing too much of that with you ten paces behind the girls with your gun drawn. Now go see her and let me get this over with."   
  
"Okay, I'll bring her back with me," he offered.   
  
"Good. I missed so much the first couple of weeks with Paul and Cait. I don't want to miss a minute with Bethany."   
  
"Good luck," Peter whispered in her ear before leaving the room.   
  
Nicole stared at the door long after Peter had closed it behind him. Waiting.   
Dreading the door opening again.   
  
A few minutes later it did. Doug and Monique Connelly entered the room.   
  
Nicole nodded in mute acknowledgment of their presence, tightly reining in her emotions.   
  
Caitlyn Connelly smiled at her. "Nicole."   
  
"That's me." She half smiled, unable to get over the resemblance. She stared at both of them, picking out her own features.   
  
The couple slowly approached the bed, a cautious joy in their eyes. "I know. Thank you for seeing us."   
  
Nicole took a deep breath, with no idea what to say to these people, this woman who had given birth to her just as she'd given birth to her own daughter just hours ago. "Well... you did a nice job with Monique. She's great."   
  
"Thank you. She's told us about you... your life now. She's enthralled with her niece and nephew. Thank you for allowing her that," Doug offered.   
  
"Like I said, she's great. I like her."   
  
"We're not all that different from her." Doug wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, the two of them presenting a united non-threatening front.   
  
There was undeniable resentment, blame and hurt and hostility going on behind Nicole's gray eyes. "I don't know what to say to you now that you're standing here. I didn't expect to see you."   
  
"We aren't expecting anything... not really. We know we can't make up for the lost time, but we would like to get to know our daughter and her family. We won't push. If you tell us to go away we will." Caitlyn's voice held the hope that they would never have to live up to that promise as she handed Nicole a box. "We would like you to have this."   
  
Nicole accepted the box hesitantly, and opened it to find an exquisite white Christening dress.   
  
"It was yours," Doug told her with obvious sentiment in his eyes and voice.   
  
"I was Christened?" she asked very softly, looking down at the dress.   
  
"Yes."   
  
She nodded. "It's a nice dress. Where the hell were you in between the time I wore this dress and now?" she asked with as much controlled neutrality in her voice as she could muster.   
  
Caitlyn replied immediately, "At home, mourning the loss of our only child. When we had been told you had died, it nearly killed us both."   
  
"And you never questioned it? You never looked into it? You just accepted it, OK, she's dead, but life goes on?" Nicole asked, incredulity creeping into her voice.   
  
Caitlyn was near tears. "What was there to question? You had gotten sick... we took you to the hospital... the doctors... the doctors told us...." she broke off, unable to continue under Nicole's now icy stare.   
  
"If that had been one of my kids I would have wanted something more than something a doctor said! You ask any doctor here what I'm like! They're all terrified of me! I would have gotten an answer!"   
  
Doug's arms wrapped around his wife, as she cried against his chest. "We trusted them... we'd never been given any reason not to. Doctors are authority figures... people you can believe... at least in the world we lived in then... given recent events it seems we were naive."   
  
"Doctors are just people. They can be bought off or scared off just like anybody else!" Nicole wiped angrily at her own eyes which were burning with unshed tears of anger and hurt.   
  
"We didn't live in that world, or at least we didn't think so." Doug paused.   
  
Caitlyn looked up from her husband's chest. "I'm sorry, this was a mistake... we shouldn't have come here."   
  
"Yeah, sure." Nicole laughed bitterly. "Go ahead, walk out. Who the hell needs this, anyway. I'm a little old for parents and I'm sure you don't need a daughter who was a hired killer."   
  
They both looked at her in shock. Monique hadn't told them about anything of her life, before her marriage. Nicole glared at them in silent challenge.   
  
"You've got a lot of anger, Nicole," her mother whispered. "So do we. But directing the anger at each other is not going to solve anything. We came her to find our daughter... ready to accept whatever we found. You've made it obvious you don't want anything to do with us. When we try to honor that, you get angry at us for that. You need to decide what it is you want. Either we're in your life or out, the decision is yours, and we'll live with whatever it is." She looked her in the eye, returning the challenge.   
  
"Anger is my primary emotional response. It was the only emotional response I wasn't beaten for as a child," Nicole informed with a little less hostility in her voice.   
  
"We're all angry. We all have a right to be angry. These people took a lot and denied so much to all of us. We have an opportunity right now, to work together, to try and heal together. I repeat the decision to do that is up to you."   
  
Nicole paused, her emotions in conflict. "Peter likes you both."   
  
"We like him. We're glad you found him." Doug breathed a slight sigh of relief.   
  
"He saved me," she stated very simply. Nicole looked at them, and saw the sincerity in the eyes that looked back. "I'm a little tired... I've had a... busy day." She shifted uncomfortably. "The baby is in the nursery with Peter... if you want to peek in." She closed her eyes, signaling the end of the exchange.   
  
Her mother understood this quite well. "We'll give you all the time you need to make your decision. Talk to Peter. I feel like he can help you with this. Let him." She smiled through her tears. "Thank you. We'll be going. You know how to get hold of us if you want to."   
  
She nodded, her eyes still closed. She wanted to say so much more, but the words and the ability to speak them escaped her. She wanted to say 'don't go', but she wanted to tell them to go to Hell, she wanted... she wanted to know what she really wanted. Because she just didn't know anymore. "Thanks for coming by."   
  
* * * * * *   
  
Peter carried the newborn from the nursery, wrapped in a pink blanket, headed back to her mother's room. He'd gotten only a few feet from the nursery door when he spotted Doug and Caitlyn Connelly approaching, hand in hand. Caitlyn's eyes were puffy, as though she'd been crying, and Doug looked clearly shaken, but there was an aura of hope that radiated from them both that brought a tentative smile to Peter's face. They smiled back in greeting, their eyes immediately taken to their grandchild.   
  
"How'd it go?" Peter asked quietly, rocking the sleeping baby in his arms.   
  
Caitlyn shook her head, "She's so... angry."   
  
Peter nodded in understanding. "She has been for a long time."   
  
Doug chose to be more optimistic. "But she saw us. And she suggested we come take a peek at the baby."   
  
"Those are good signs, both of them." Peter adjusted his hold on the baby a little so they could get a better view. "Meet Bethany."   
  
Caitlyn reached out to touch the baby, running a finger gently down the Bethany's cheek. "She's so precious. She looks just like her mother did when she was born. I can't believe we're grandparents."   
  
Peter chuckled softly. "You have been for three years."   
  
"Yes, but... this is the first grandchild we've seen." Doug smiled sadly, wanting to hold the baby.   
  
Peter winked conspiratorially at him. "If you don't tell her, I won't."   
  
"Thank you." Doug and Caitlyn both lit up as Doug took the baby from Peter's arms, comfortable holding a newborn, rocking her and humming softly.   
  
Peter watched them, glad to be able to give them at least that small gift. "Be patient with her. I know all about the pain and anger she's feeling, and if I know Nick at all she'll work this out."   
  
"We don't want to hurt her any more than she's already been hurt. She's completely different from what we expected, but she's our flesh and blood and we still love her, no matter what. I don't know what this hired killer talk is, and I'm not sure I want to know... but we want her to be happy, and we'd like to be part of her life." Caitlyn explained.   
  
"Just allow her the time she needs then. As for the hired killer talk, I think it's best that she explain that and everything else to you herself." Peter took Bethany back from Doug. "I think I should take this one to see her. The kids have always had a calming and healing influence on her... and I have a feeling that this one will have more of an influence than the twins."   
  
"Thank you Peter." Caitlyn impulsively kissed his cheek. "For taking care of her, and for understanding. You're looking better than you were the last time we saw you. You've been in our prayers too."   
  
"We take care of each other. You have Nick to thank for the fact I'm looking better. She's been making sure I keep my doctor's appointments, as well as feeding me enough to guarantee that I gained my weight back." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you."  
  
**********************  
  
The house had been in chaos once again for the last three weeks as Nicole came home with Bethany. While Cait had taken an immediate and almost frightening liking to her new baby sister, Paul had ignored the presence of the baby almost completely. As his mother and father spent the majority of their time with Bethany, and Cait getting extra attention by virtue of her obsession with the new baby, Paul became quieter and quieter. Peter and Nicole's efforts to draw him out again met with limited success.   
  
The nursery was now occupied, and at any given time, that was where a person had to go to find Cait. Cait supervised all activities having to do with Bethany, or 'Beffy' as she had renamed her. She supervised feedings and bathing, she watched as those people on her 'approved list' held the baby... she watched over her as she napped, and picked out what the baby was to wear. Even Peter had taken a back seat to the new baby in Cait's eyes. Nicole found it a little disturbing at first, but was willing to wait a few weeks to see if it was a phase the toddler was going through before becoming concerned to the point of action... after all, Cait seemed happy enough, and was actually spending time with her mother without taking her usual confrontational stance for once.   
  
Cait practically had to be pried from the nursery by her father to go outside and play in the yard. Her small hand in Peter's she looked back over her shoulder at her mother and reminded her loudly, "I give the bath!"   
  
Peter shot his wife a questioning glance. "What bath?"   
  
"Bethany's bath. I promised she could help." She smiled indulgently at Cait. "I promise, there will be no baby bathing without you."   
  
"What has gotten into these two?" Peter shook his head. "In the past weeks since we brought the baby home Paul's acted like Sam doesn't exist, and he hardly speaks, and Cait thinks she's got a living doll."   
  
Nicole looked frazzled. Completely frazzled. "I don't know. Who can figure them out. They're like us, complete opposites. They'll both mellow and find a middle ground eventually. I hope. Cait has staked her claim on Bethany as HER baby, she doesn't even want me to touch her except of course to change her, which she wants no part of."   
  
"We can only hope they mellow, and soon. We're going to head outside. I wish I knew how to get Paul out of that shell of his, he's worse then I ever was at hiding behind walls."   
  
"Yeah, no kidding. And I don't feel right about smashing at his walls with a sledgehammer the way I did with you. Go on, you and Cait go play." Nicole turned back to the computer station where her three year old son sat playing with the mouse. Picking him up, she settled him onto her lap, glad to HAVE a lap again. "You want to turn on the computer for me?"   
  
Paul leaned forward at pushed the button, watching as the unit booted up. Peter watched them for a moment, then carried Cait outside to the jungle gym.   
  
"Paul? You want to see if we can find some pictures of Scooby Doo on the Net? Or maybe hack into the defense system again?" she pulled the quiet little boy against her in a hug and tickled him.   
  
Paul gave his mother a half interested shrug. He was even less talkative during the last few weeks than he normally was.   
  
"What's the matter big guy? New baby bumming you out?" Nicole asked sympathetically.   
  
The child looked up at her, eyes filled with tears he was fighting to hold back. He didn't know why they had to get the new baby, or what he did that his mother didn't want him anymore.   
  
Nicole's heart melted at the sight of those teary eyes. She hugged him and kissed his forehead, "I know, it's gotta be tough to see all the grown ups acting like idiots over a baby. But do you know how important you're gonna be to your little sister? Or how jealous she's gonna be of you soon?"   
  
He shook his head, still trying to understand why his mother had no time for him anymore.   
  
"You're gonna get to go to school before she does... and you're gonna get to do EVERYTHING before she does. She's gonna be jealous. But she'll also need you to watch out for her. Keep all the bad guys away from her... You're her big brother!"   
  
Paul shook his head, his eyes downcast. "You not love me."   
  
"What?" Nicole drew back as though he'd slapped her. "Honey, of course I love you. I've loved you since before you were born and I'll always love you. But that doesn't mean I can't love Cait and Sam and your dad. I can love all of you at the same time in different ways. How many people do you see me actually asking for hugs from? How could I not love you?"   
  
"You play with baby... with Cait... but not me."   
  
"I'm sorry. You're right. I have been neglecting you. Maybe sometimes you'll have to forgive me if I do that. I'm still not very good at being a mommy, and I need lots of practice."   
  
Paul looked up with a hopeful look in his eyes, "Play now?"   
  
Nicole smiled reassuringly at him, "Play now. Anything you want. You pick."   
  
"Hack?" he asked, starting to smile.   
  
Nicole laughed and hugged him to her, "Okay... let's hack. I'm not as good at this as uncle Kermit, but let's hack."   
  
"CIA?" he grinned mischievously.   
  
"CIA, FBI, NASA... let's hit them all."   
  
"Daddy get mad."   
  
Glancing out the window, then back at Paul, she winked. "Who cares?"   
  
"Oh yeah." Paul laughed.   
  
* * * * * * *   
  
Peter managed to finally get the twins down for a much-needed nap late in the afternoon after spending several hours outside with Cait.   
  
"They exhaust me," he moaned, sinking onto the couch.   
  
"They exhaust everyone. Paul seems in a better mood. Poor kid. I really have to spend a little more time with him. He's the complete opposite of Cait, he just bottles stuff up already. He's a gentle little soul. He thought I didn't love him anymore."   
  
"Funny how two kids coming from the same parents could be so different. Like Monique and you. I wonder if you wouldn't have turned out completely different from your sister even if your parents had raised you," he ventured thoughtfully.   
  
"Maybe. But I really do have to be more aware of his feelings since he doesn't scream them at me like Cait does. All of the sudden Bethany's taking up a lot of our time, and even Cait's getting more attention from me because of her fascination with her baby sister. I can just see them in school. Cait will be the one defending them against bullies."   
  
Peter chuckled. "She's gonna be a holy terror. She'll probably BE one of the play yard bullies. In fact she's already a playground bully."   
  
"She really is. Was she bullying you out there?" Nicole teased.   
  
"Not me, but when we take her to the park, she acts like she rules everything. We really do need to look at getting her and Paul into some kind of day care, at least for part of the day. Socialize them."   
  
"Poor society. But you're right. We do." Standing and stretching restlessly, Nicole looked at her watch, "Listen, Peter... would it be all right with you if I went out for an hour or so? I'd like to take a drive and get some air. Bethany's all set and the monsters should sleep for a while."   
  
Peter nodded, settling back and putting his feet up on the couch, looking like he was ready for a nap himself. "I can handle it. Where're you thinking of going?"   
  
She shrugged, "I don't know, wherever my wheels take me. Ragtop down, it's a nice afternoon for a quiet drive. Just around town."   
  
"Take your phone with you. The kids and I should be just fine," he yawned. "I think my father's gonna stop by later too."   
  
With a smile she grabbed her phone and her purse and keys, giving him a quick kiss. "Thanks. This is so much nicer than the forced confinement you had me under last time."   
  
"A lot of things are nicer than last time. We've both learned a lot since then."   
  
"Learned I can't live without you." She kissed him again, never forgetting what it had felt like to come so close to losing him for good.   
  
"We both learned that the hard way last time. Go on, get out of here, you deserve a break. If you're going to be too late, call me."   
  
"I will," she agreed, heading out to the garage.   
  
********************  
  
The afternoon was clear and warm, a soft breeze blowing through her long hair as she drove through town. After aimlessly cruising through Chinatown, then past the building she and Peter had lived in during the first years together, she headed up to the Parkway, and out of town with no specific destination in mind. Or so she thought.   
  
Half an hour later she found herself driving down fairly unfamiliar streets in the next town over, until she spotted a street sign she recognized. She'd seen the name of this street in the files that Peter had given her the day after Doug and Caitlyn Connelly had walked back into her life. Without really giving the action much thought, she turned down the street, and drove past the house. Once. Twice. Three times before finally pulling into the driveway in front of the Cape Cod her parents lived in. After sitting in the car staring at the house for a full five minutes, she found herself knocking on the front door.   
  
The door opened and Nicole fought the urge to bolt for the car as her mother smiled in surprise. She cleared her throat. "Hi."   
  
"Hi," Caitlyn greeted her with warm surprise. "How are you doing?"   
  
"I'm fine, thanks. You?" she asked, shifting from foot to foot, her hands jammed into her pockets.   
  
"Fine. How's the baby?" Caitlyn asked, stepping aside to allow Nicole into the house.   
  
Nicole declined the silent invitation, glancing into the house, but remaining outside on the stairs. "She's just fine. I was just driving by and thought I would stop and say thanks for coming that day, and for the dress."   
  
"We're glad you let us come in and see you. And thank you for letting us see Bethany. She's beautiful. Are you sure you wouldn't like to come in?"   
  
Nicole shook her head. "No, I really have to go. I was... just driving by... Oh, and about the dress... we don't belong to a church, we've always had Peter's father do a blessing for the kids, he's a Shaolin priest... but she'll wear the dress when he does the blessing."   
  
"Hello, Nicole." Doug appeared behind his wife, smiling pleasantly. "We weren't even sure you'd accept it from us. What is Shaolin? If you don't mind me asking?"   
  
"It's..." Nicole paused, trying to put two thousand years into a few words. "It's the opposite of the Sing Wah. They're sworn enemies. Shaolin are all about healing and enlightenment, not about power and killing. It's really too difficult to explain right now... maybe you'll, you know, meet him someday."   
  
The hope showed plainly on her parents' faces. "Maybe we will. If he's anything like Peter, I'm sure we'll like him."   
  
Nicole laughed at that idea. "Like Peter? Well... East meets West... I really should get home. My hour of freedom is up. I just wanted to say thanks."   
  
Doug nodded. "Thank you for coming by. You're welcome anytime, you know."   
  
Nicole began backing away from them slowly. "Well, I don't get out this way much. But maybe sometime if you're in the city we could have, I don't know, lunch."   
  
"Sounds good. Can we give you a call then?" Caitlyn asked, almost afraid to hope for a positive answer.   
  
A long hesitation followed her question. "Yeah. You've got the office number," she replied, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small wallet size photo, handing it to her mother from a safe distance. "That's Cait and Paul." She pointed to the photo.   
  
Tears formed in the older woman's eyes. "Thank you. Wait right here, please," she asked, disappearing into the house for a moment, returning with a photo of herself, Doug and Monique. "I'd like you to have this."   
  
Nicole accepted the photo, staring at it for a long moment. "I should have been right there," she whispered, pointing to a spot between them on the photo.   
  
Doug nodded in agreement. "Yes, you should have. We always believed you were, in spirit."   
  
Nicole looked away quickly. "I really have to go," she stammered, moving on legs she could no longer feel, back to the car.   
  
* * * * * *   
  
"Did you make the reservations yet?" Nicole asked Peter as she ripped through her closet looking for something appropriate to wear to her first lunch with her parents.   
  
"You've asked me that twenty times in twenty for hours and my answer is still 'Yes', Nick..." Peter smiled, watching her discard outfit after outfit. He sat on the bed and sorted through her reject pile.   
  
"Oh... right..." She nodded, hitching up the towel she was wearing. "Sorry."   
  
Peter had been watching her all morning. She'd been up since dawn, pacing since 9:00 and in the shower for almost an hour. "I can't wait... two weeks of sun and sand... It was definitely great of your cousin to let us stay with them. Especially considering we're bringing the kids."   
  
"Well, Tom said they just bought a house, and he and his wife need the practice with kids since they're planning a couple of their own."   
  
"Yeah, well those plans may change after two weeks with ours." Peter laughed. "So, he's a cop. Must be a recessive cop-gene in your family."   
  
"Maybe there is. He's a homicide detective with the Palm Beach PD. He just got married for the second time a couple of months ago. I talked to him for about an hour on the phone yesterday, he seems like a nice guy. Monique said they haven't seen him since before he left for college, his parents still live in Boston and they don't get a chance to get together a lot. Wanna talk about weird partners, he's partnered with his ex-wife," she laughed as another three outfits were discarded. "You made the airline reservations though, right?"   
  
"I'll just write it down and post it somewhere you can refer to it," he kidded her, picking up one of the casual dresses she'd just tossed on the bed. "Nick, it doesn't matter what you wear, I'm sure they're just so damn glad you finally agreed to lunch after three months, they're not going to care what you're wearing."   
  
Nicole turned and looked at him, with a smart mouth reply on her lips, as usual, and stopped. He was standing there holding the short denim dress with a slight smile on his face. It still amazed her after years of marriage that he was her husband. He married her. The man she'd once made her life's work to make miserable... he'd married her. He put up with her moods and quirks, her smart mouth, her temper... and the masses of 'baggage' she'd brought with her. He alone, in her whole life had looked beyond the attitude, and the threats and the temper and had seen something worth saving. And he had.   
  
"What?" he smiled, catching her stare.   
  
The smile spread across her face as well. "Just thinking that I'm pretty damned lucky... that's all." She took the denim dress from his hands. "An excellent choice. It covers most of my scars," she agreed, dropping the towel and slipping the dress over her head.   
  
"I love your scars," Peter assured her, slipping his arms around her waist.   
  
"And I love yours. Suppose they don't like me?" she asked quietly, pulling him close.   
  
"They'll love you."   
  
"I'm hardly the type of person they'd hang out with."   
  
"That's because they've never met anyone like you. You're beautiful."   
  
"I have scars and tattoos."   
  
"You're smart."   
  
"No college education, these people are biochemists!"   
  
"Nick, you're their daughter. Trust me. They will love you," he whispered, kissing the tip of her nose. "Just be yourself. You've never worried about what people thought about you before, don't start now."   
  
"Know what? You're right. When you're right you're right. God, I married I smart man." She grinned, pulling away from him and grabbing the lock box off the top shelf of the closet.   
  
"You're going armed?" Peter laughed.   
  
"Hey, you said I should be ME."   
  
****************************   
  
Nicole had arrived sufficiently early to pick a table at the rear of the restaurant, her seat facing the door. Trying not to fidget nervously, trying to convince her feet not to take her back to the door and out to the car, she waited for the arrival of her parents... Doubts and insecurities mixed with frustration, fear and resentment in her heart. Her mind and heart were arguing again, *What am I going to say to them? What do we have in common besides genetics? I shouldn't have done this. I should have canceled. I shouldn't have opened the door to this. Everything was fine the way it was,* and finally, *I hope they like me.*   
  
At exactly 1:00, to the second punctual, she caught sight of them walking in, hand in hand. She raised her own hand in casual greeting as they approached, her heart pounding hard in her chest, her mouth suddenly dry as the desert in August. It was a small comfort to her to note that her parents looked every bit as nervous as she felt.   
  
Doug and Caitlyn Connelly greeted her with warmth in the smiles and obvious trepidation in their eyes. "We knew you'd beaten us here when we saw the Mustang out front," Doug nodded towards the window as he held the chair out for his wife.   
  
"Oh... right... the Mustang..." Nicole sat trying to analyze the tone of his voice and every inflection, trying to determine what he'd meant by that remark. "Yeah, the Mustang, look, Doug.... I was going to talk to you about that..." Her slightly shaking hand went to her jacket pocket, and she pulled the keys to the car out, setting them on the table in front of him. "All those years as cop and I was driving a stolen car," she kidded tightly.   
  
Doug pushed the keys back to her. "I can't take your car. It's yours. The memories associated with it are yours. I hadn't even thought of that car in years. Keep it, Nicole."   
  
The relief was visible on her face. She'd felt it necessary to make the gesture. "Thanks... Doug. I do love that car. Always have. Since the twins were born I was thinking of keeping it up and passing it on to them, sort of a family heirloom."   
  
"That's a great idea. You've kept it looking like the day we first saw it on the showroom floor." Caitlyn smiled at her. The looks on both their faces told of how much they wanted a chance to get to know her, and their grandchildren, but they also spoke of how afraid they were to even ask.   
  
"Listen... I um... I want to apologize for hurting your feelings along the way here." Nicole brushed her hair back in a nervous gesture. "I'm not the easiest person in the world to get along with, and I don't like very many people. I trust even fewer people. It's just the way I am. My nature is hostile and suspicious. So... what I'd like to do is just... ease into this and see where it goes... Maybe a lunch here and there... and then maybe meet Peter and I at the park sometime when we have the kids there... and then maybe dinner at the house."   
  
"Thank you. That's more than we really expected," Caitlyn stared at her with curiosity.   
  
"It was more than I expected too. But recent events in my life have kind of given me a new... appreciation for some things. And maybe having some blood relations wouldn't be such a ... a bad thing after all..." Nicole eyes traveled up front to the cash register area with suspicion as they talked. Her inner alarms were beginning to ring.   
  
Doug and Caitlyn both watched her eyes shifting nervously. "We're grateful for what ever you're willing to give us."   
  
Groaning inwardly, knowing her chance of making a good impression on her parents was about to be blown, Nicole leaned forward, "What I'm willing to give you right now is some advice. Head for the rear exit and do it now..." she whispered.   
  
Her parents both looked at her with confusion. "What?"   
  
Nicole took the napkin out of her lap and placed it on the table, reaching for her purse, "I want you to leave, by the rear exit right now because in another minute you're going to be stuck here while those cheeseballs in the leather jackets up front knock over the place. They're armed and I don't want you in the line of fire... Now go...!" she repeated in a hushed whisper, trying to appear casual in her movements.   
  
Caitlyn's eyes widened as Doug grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the back of the restaurant.   
  
Nicole rose and slipped back to the area by the rest rooms where she could see the pair of young, grungy looking men in leather, trying to get a clear shot while maintaining some cover. "Call 911" she mouthed at Doug as they headed to the rear exit by the kitchen.  
  
Doug nodded to her, letting her know he got the message before they disappeared.   
  
Startled screams echoed through the crowded restaurant as the taller of the two men pulled a 9mm out his jacket and fired a shot into the ceiling. "EVERYBODY ON THE FLOOR!" he commanded loudly, his eyes flashing dangerously.   
  
Nicole cursed her luck and her choices in restaurants as she pulled her gun and jumped out of her hiding place as the second man pulled his weapon. "Everybody on the floor!" she screamed, repeating the man's words, casting him a glance as she approached him, waving her gun wildly. "Hey! What are you, fucking Stupid? This is MY day to knock over this place!"   
  
Both men turned to look at her, surprise and confusion on their faces. "Lady, are you nuts?!? GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR!"   
  
"YOU get down on the floor, asshole, is it MY fault you can't read a calendar?" she waved the gun in his direction as she drew closer, keeping an eye on both men, cursing loudly at them. She heard the sirens a few blocks over and knew that her father had called 911 as promised. However, all hope of stalling them until the police arrived was shattered when the second man regained his senses and brought his gun up, aiming it directly at her. Her hand swung quickly, changing her aim from the first man to the second, firing off a quick shot, clipping the man's gun hand and sending his weapon spinning to the floor. Her focus shifted quickly back to the first man. "Drop the gun, NOW!"   
  
"You heard her, drop the gun!" Skalany commanded, coming in the front door, weapon drawn.   
  
TJ was behind Skalany, covering the other man, and taking out his handcuffs. "Looks like we got the guys that have been knocking over every restaurant in town."   
  
"Looks like it," Skalany nodded. "TJ take friends here out to the car, I need to get a few statements."   
  
TJ and the two uniformed cops behind him took the prisoners out to the waiting patrol car as Skalany took a brief statement from the restaurant owner, a few of the patrons, and Nicole.   
  
"Those were the guys that shot that couple last week in the diner on 8th?" she asked, scanning the restaurant for her parents, who were nowhere in sight.   
  
"Looks like it. We'll have to bring some witnesses down to ID them. I'll give you a call if we need anything else. You know the drill," she smiled.   
  
"I think I remember back that far." Nicole returned the smile, a little more shaky than she'd expected to be. She watched as Skalany and TJ, her former coworkers took the gunmen away, and moved slowly back to her table to retrieve her purse. She'd obviously blown this lunch with her parents, and maybe it was for the best. If they wanted a 'nice girl' for a daughter, then they could just forget it. She ignored the looks on the faces of the other shaken patrons as she passed, they were all staring at her, as though wondering if she was going to flip out again. Realizing that perhaps it was because she was still clutching her .38, she holstered quickly holstered it.   
  
"Well... who's hungry?" a deep voice behind her asked.   
  
Nicole turned to see her father and mother standing behind her. Though her mother looked a little wary of her armed daughter, they both appeared to sincerely want to be there as they took their seats once more.   
  
"I am," Caitlyn smiled at her husband and her daughter. "How about you, Nicole?"   
  
Nicole looked in shock at the two of them as she slowly sat down. "Look, I'm sorry if that was... offensive to you, but Skalany just told me that those guys have been knocking over places for weeks, they shot a couple just last week..." she tried to explain.   
  
"Monique had warned us... it's just another thing seeing it... you were so calm. I wouldn't have even known a thing... you see everything that goes on around you don't you?" her mother asked, looking up from her menu.   
  
"Have to, otherwise you get dead real fast." Nicole recited the old motto without even thinking about it.   
  
"No wonder you've been so wary of us... so angry."   
  
"It's not just you. When I first met Peter, I couldn't have possibly been more hostile if I'd tried. There was a contract of sorts out on me by my adopted brother, he was planting people around me to hit me. I was suspicious of Peter especially... He and I were partnered together at the 101st. I made him miserable."   
  
Once again they both smiled. "He must be pretty loyal to have stuck with you through that."   
  
"He's.... he's Peter," she laughed. "You have to meet his father to really understand him though. He's the Priest I was telling you about. He really helped me. You'll have to meet him."   
  
"We'd like too," Doug answered, his voice losing the slight tremor or nerves. "We've thanked Peter for being there for you. We'd like to thank him as well."   
  
"I can't believe I just pulled at stunt like that and shot a guy in front of you and you actually came back in to finish lunch with me." Nicole stared at them with new appreciation. Maybe they really could accept her as she was.   
  
"We want to get to know you... you're who our Sharon grew up to be. If we want to know our daughter, then we need to get to know Nicole. What she's like, who she's become."   
  
"Probably not what you pictured or hoped for."   
  
"We didn't have any pictures or hopes until we saw that news broadcast."   
Caitlyn whispered. "The one that brought us into your office."   
  
"I was really rude that day in the hospital. You just scared the crap... I mean scared the life out of me. I have a condition that only affects me when I'm pregnant. Hypertension. That's why Peter didn't want me to see you."   
  
Caitlyn smiled at her. "I understand. I was the same way when pregnant with you. The doctors didn't want me to have anymore... it was a tough decision to have Monique. I believe it's hereditary. They nearly lost my mother when she was pregnant with my twin brother and I. We were their only children."   
  
"Oh my God, that's incredible! I had no idea it was a hereditary thing. I had such a bad delivery with the twins, Peter and I were frightened when we found out I was pregnant again, but we both really wanted another baby." Her voice trailed off as her eyes caught sight of Peter rushing into the restaurant, Bethany in his arms, and an expression on his face she was quite familiar with.   
"Oh, no," she groaned, "This is going to be uglier than the shoot-out. You may want to take cover."   
  
They both followed her line of sight. "Why?"   
  
"Because there's going to be some screaming going on in a minute." She waved to Peter and smiled. "Hi honey! Look who's here, Doug and Caitlyn, you remember them don't you?"   
  
Peter smiled at them, then glared at his wife. "Nick, we need to talk." Looking back at the Connellys, he continued, "If you'll excuse us."   
  
"You wouldn't abandon me to my abusive husband would you?" she pleaded with them.   
  
"NICOLE!" Peter growled at her. "NOW!"   
  
"I may be showing up on your doorstep later." She cringed dramatically, rising to her feet and following Peter outside to face the chewing out.   
  
******************   
  
Peter barely waited until they get to the sidewalk before exploding. "What the   
HELL did you think you were doing?"   
  
Nicole met the blast of his anger with a loud defense. "The same thing you would have done! I saw a situation going down and I reacted before those guys hurt anyone! These are the same guys that shot those people in that restaurant last week! They would have come to our table for watches and wallets, seen my gun and blown me away. I reacted like any cop or ex-cop would have!"   
  
Peter fumed, "No, you reacted as any mercenary would have. You had enough time to get your parents out of there, you could have gotten yourself out as well!"   
  
"Yeah right! And what? Stood on the sidewalk while that cheeseball blew away a few innocent people?!"   
  
"Oh, you'd rather he'd blown you away?!" Peter countered angrily.   
  
"He was a lot less likely to blow me away than someone else! Look, I can't help it that I was unlucky enough to be here when this went down, but I was and I did what my instincts told me to do. The same instincts that saved YOUR ass a few times!"   
  
Peter shook his head, his face turning redder by the minute. "This isn't my ass we're talking about, it's yours. I'd like to have it around a while longer. I really have no desire to raise three young kids on my own!"   
  
"And I have no desire to see you do it either!" she screamed, kicking the Mustang's tire a few times. She could see her parents staring out the window, watching the whole episode, then looked at the baby in Peter's arms, and her anger cooled considerably. Rational thinking again taking over. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just reacted. Maybe it was a bad reaction. Like I said, I just... reacted. Sorry," she apologized softly.   
  
Peter sighed in relief, then pulled her into a one armed embrace. "I'm sorry too. It's just this came so close to my own shooting. We've come so close to losing each other too many times."   
  
"I know we have. That desert island is looking better and better all the time." She hugged him back. "We don't go looking for trouble, it just finds us."   
  
Bethany woke up, giving protest at being slightly squished between her parents.   
"Oh... sweetie... I'm sorry," Nicole whispered, taking the baby from Peter and rocking her in her arms. "We were having a nice lunch too..." she looked up at Peter. "Would have continued to have one except my lunatic hubby dragged me away."   
  
"You just drive me crazy with these stunts."   
  
"I know, I know. They're a little too much like the stunts you pull."   
  
"I guess we'll continue to drive each other crazy."   
  
"For the rest of our lives."   
  
"Promise?"   
  
"Promise."   
  
Peter smiled. "I'll let you get back to your lunch." He moved to take Bethany from her.   
  
"You should have seen me though. I was brilliant." She kissed him playfully, feeling in high spirits again. "I'll take Beth with me."   
  
"I'm glad I didn't see it, thank you. I probably would have had a heart attack. You sure you want to keep her?"   
  
"Yeah, I'll keep her with me."   
  
"Okay. I'll see you at home. I'll pick up the monsters on my way."   
  
"Thanks." She kissed him lightly, and smiled back at him as she walked back into the restaurant.   
  
Peter watched her, shaking his head. They'd continue to drive each other crazy, but he didn't think he wanted it any other way. Neither did Nicole.   
  
She smiled apologetically at the Connelly's as she joined them again, their orders had come while she'd been screaming outside. "Sorry about that. You must really think I'm a nut case now... shooting people, screaming matches with my husband."   
  
"He cares about you."   
  
"After over 4 years of marriage and a year of partnership and three children, I should hope he does. He would have done the same thing, that's why he's so pissed." She shifted the baby in her arms. "Hope you don't mind a fourth to our party."   
  
Caitlyn smiled at her. "Not at all. She's really a beautiful baby."   
  
"She really is. And I'm not just saying that because she's mine." She looked over and paused a minute. "Would you like to... to hold her?"   
  
Caitlyn looked up at her, eyes wide in surprise. "I'd love to."   
  
Nicole handed her over. The fact that they came back after seeing her little stunt really impressed her.   
  
"She's an absolute doll. Looks like her father doesn't she?"   
  
"Yeah, she does. She's the only one though. The other monsters look like me. Cait has my temper already and Paul is kind of quiet and shy like his dad. Cait tends to be a bit of a bully... she terrorizes the playground."   
  
"So you're finding them to be a challenge?" Doug asked, his eyes showing a slight bit of laughter.   
  
"I didn't even know what to DO with a baby before they came. I'd only held one once before my own came. Now... they just exhaust me. Paul's favorite thing is hacking into the CIA computer."   
  
"Hack. Your three year old son hacks?"   
  
"Yes, he does. And he's pretty good at it too," she laughed. "Our other business partner and I used to work for... well... his specialty was hacking."   
  
"So he's learning the family business then?"   
  
"Sort of." She smiled. "Actually the family business on Peter side would be becoming a Shaolin Priest, and on my side...either a mercenary or... what exactly do you do? Chemical engineering?"   
  
"Yes. Sounds like he may go into computers though."   
  
"Let's just hope he doesn't go into JAIL for going into computers."   
  
They both laughed at that one. "I think with both parents being former cops, all of your kids will grow up knowing right from wrong." Doug glanced up at his daughter, hardly able to tear his eyes away from the baby.   
  
"I hope so. And Cait will be a holy terror no matter what. I have a feeling she may go into law enforcement some day... or loansharking."   
  
They both smiled again. "What about his one? What do you think she'll become?"   
  
"Hard to say yet, but she's been... incredibly good for me. It was a relatively easy pregnancy and a good delivery. She gave me more strength than she took from me. She could follow in her grandfather's footsteps I think."   
  
"You were quiet like this as a baby."   
  
"No way." She smiled disbelievingly.   
  
"A complete doll. Never too fussy, slept through most the night from the start."   
  
"You mean I didn't come into the world cranky and screaming?"   
  
"No. I was the one cranky and screaming," she laughed.   
  
"You?"   
  
"I was in labor for 26 hours."   
  
Nicole's face paled with the mere thought. "Oh my God! Are you kidding? You must have cursed Doug till God came down and slapped you!"   
  
"Close. I shocked him, he'd never heard me cuss before."   
  
Nicole laughed until she could scarcely breathe, and Doug felt the ice finally beginning to break.   
  
Caitlyn sobered at last, "Those monsters changed you, but they couldn't completely take everything that was in your heart from you."   
  
"They did a pretty good job," Nicole looked away, uncomfortable.   
  
"But you were stronger than them. If they'd completely taken everything that was you, do you honestly think you could be the loving wife and mother you are today?"   
  
"The kind that stands on a street corner screaming at her husband?" she joked.   
  
"Because they love and care about each other."   
  
"And drive each other insane." Nicole checked her watch, "I'm going to have to run. I'm meeting a client this afternoon and I need to do a little background check first."   
  
"We understand. We had a nice lunch. Can we do this again?"   
  
"Without the shooting and screaming? Yeah, I'd like that. This wasn't nearly... as awkward as I thought it would be. You're nice people. And you came back after my stunt and didn't yell at me. Big points."   
  
"Like we said earlier, if we want to get to know our daughter, we have to get to know and accept what she's become," Doug assured her.   
  
Nicole stood and placed enough money to cover the check on the table, "My treat."   
  
"Thank you. The next one's on us."   
  
"Deal," she agreed, reaching down to take the baby from her mother. "You're very good with Bethany. She didn't even wake up."   
  
"Thank you. I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact I'm a grandmother."   
  
"Hah! Wait until you see the monsters you're the grandmother OF. You know, it would have been... nice... growing up with you."   
  
"We would have loved to have raised you." Caitlyn relinquished Beth, a sadness in her voice.   
  
"Well. I guess there's always the possibility I still might need some raising."   
  
Doug chuckled. "Parents always think their children need raising. Even when the children are 60."   
  
"Well, if I stop pulling stunts like I did this afternoon, I may live to see 60.   
Give us a call and we'll see about getting together again, or I'll give you a call then when we get back from vacation. I'll send you a postcard."   
  
"We look forward to it. Have fun, and give Tommy our best."   
  
"Thanks, I will." She paused as though wanting to do or say something more before changing her mind. "Take care." she said simply, and walked out.   
  
***************************   
  
Conclusion and Teaser!   
  
Peter white-knuckled the landing, his face the palest shade of green as the plane touched down and taxied down the runway.   
  
Nicole glanced at him with wry amusement, "See? That wasn't so bad," she teased.   
  
"Oh, nom not bad at all," he moaned. "Can we drive back?"   
  
"No, we cannot drive back. We're down on the ground, and you don't have to think about leaving it again for two weeks. We are in the land of sun and surf and late nights and later mornings and rest and relaxation."   
  
The Fasten Seat belt light blinked off with a ding, and the twins started clamoring with excitement as the other passengers began disembarking.   
  
"Hold on, you two, wait until some more people get off before you move," Nicole told them, leaning over the back of her seat. "Hope our luggage isn't in Colorado or... Iowa or something."   
  
"Nope, nothing is gonna go wrong on THIS vacation," Peter shook his head, banishing all thoughts of anything interfering with their enjoyment of this vacation.   
  
Peter took the carryon bags from the overhead and reached back to unfasten the kids' seatbelts as Nicole started down the aisle with the baby in her arms. "Tom said he'd have a sign that said "Caine" so we'd be able to find him," she called back over her shoulder, leaving the confines of the plane, and heading out towards the baggage claim area, Peter and the twins in tow.   
  
********************   
Meanwhile, on the other side of the airport.....   
  
"That's such an incredible story." Mel shook her head, pacing over to look at the arrival's board again, watching for her husband's cousin's flight number to light up. "She was actually kidnapped and raised by those weirdos?"   
  
Tom nodded, watching his new wife with amusement. She'd always been so full of energy, never still for more than a few moments at a time. Watching her now brought a flash of memory to him, a memory of the first time he'd seen her... college freshman orientation. The gym as full of people as this airport was... and a blonde girl, wandering through the crowd, frantically looking for her roommate, the only person she knew, whom she had just lost in the crowd.   
  
"What?" she asked, pacing back to him, a curious gleam in her eyes.   
  
"Nothing." He shook his head, stilling her pacing by pulling her into his arms. "I just don't want you wandering too far."   
  
"I'm not letting you out of my sight either. Not after these past six months," she assured him.   
  
"The next six months have to be quieter." Tom cast his eyes heavenward in silent supplication.   
  
"Well, we're starting off right, new house, a visit from a long lost relative, both of us taking two weeks off to relax with them... three kids to practice on."   
  
"Hey! There it is, their flight is in," Tom kissed the tip of Mel's nose and brought up the sign that read "Caine", searching the crowd of passengers who were searching for their luggage, all hoping it was there in Palm and not in Colorado or Iowa.  
  
*******************   
  
Peter searched the carousel for signs of their baggage, grabbing each piece as it came around, as Nicole let her eyes wander around the terminal. "Hey!" She elbowed Peter with enthusiasm, "I see them! There's a couple holding up a "Caine" sign!"   
  
"OW!" Peter flinched at the poke, "A little less excitement, please?" he laughed, turning to see who she was pointing at. His eyes followed her line of sight, he saw the sign, and then saw the face of the man holding it. "Holy...." he stammered, dropping the bag he was carrying.   
  
"Peter? Are you okay?" Nicole turned to him. His face was pale as he stood staring. "What's wrong?"   
  
"What's wrong?" he choked out, "That's your cousin?"   
  
"I would assume so," she replied, turning to look back at the couple approaching them, the man she assumed was her cousin wore an expression of pale shock similar to Peter's as he drew closer. "Oh my God. Do you know him or something?" she asked, not understanding.   
  
"What do you mean, do I know him? Look at him, Nick! It's like looking in mirror!" he answered in a stunned whisper.   
  
Nicole looked at Tom as he came to a speechless halt a few feet away. "A mirror of what?" she shot her husband an uncomprehending glance as she extended her hand to Tom, "You must be 'Cousin Tom'"   
  
Peter and the twins continued to stare at Tom, who continued to stare at Peter.   
  
END 


End file.
